Once in a Blue Moon
by TragicallyMagical
Summary: Sequel to Caroline Cullen's Story... Sometimes you just can't give up on the ones you love...you have to have faith in them and hope that they will stay with you forever...R&R please
1. 1 A Gift

Prologue

It was the first day of school…again. This summer went by way too quickly. But I have to admit that it was probably one of the best summers I've ever had. No, actually, it was the best summer I've ever had. Damien and I officially became a 'couple' according to Bella and I have to say that I don't disagree with her. She was always happy to see that I found someone I could love again. And yes, we did become friends, like Alice said. We did a lot together over the summer actually, which was one of the reasons why it was the best summer ever. But the main reason why it was such a good period of time was because of Damien. He made me want to live forever and he made me realize that being a vampire wasn't so bad.

Damien was finally getting the hang of being a vegetarian vampire. So today he would be starting school with the rest of us. It didn't take him long to gain good control and when he was finally able to meet Bella I was more than thrilled when he actually seemed to like her. I was afraid that he wouldn't get along with her, but he did. And he did get along with the rest of my family, well our family, too. He became especially close to Jasper. Probably because they used to be in the newborn army together, or at least that's what I thought.

Oh, and I finally got my driver's license. I currently don't have a car, yet, but Damien told me he would buy me one soon. He wanted it to be a surprise I guess.

But this was a whole new school year and I hoped that there would be nothing ruining my life right now…because my life was better than ever…and I didn't want it to change….

Chapter 1

A Gift

"How much more immature can you get Emmett?!"

I ran up to my room and took off the shirt I had on that was now full of dirt because Emmett decided to try and get his Jeep out of the mud. And I stupidly agreed to help him. I should've known that he would do that.

I could hear Emmett's laughter.

"Ugh, this was new too," I held up the shirt and stared at the mud stains on it now.

Someone knocked on the door. I quickly made myself presentable.

"It's open," I yelled.

Damien came into the room, trying to hide his laughter by coughing.

"You ok?" he asked.

I sighed, "I'll be fine."

He walked over to me and wrapped his arms around my waist. I looked up at him and stared into his beautiful golden eyes, I had to admit that I didn't miss the red so much. It was really intimidating…

"You seem calm for a vampire who's going to be in a room full of humans in just a little while," I said.

"I'm not going to pay attention to the humans," he leaned down to give me a kiss.

I reached up a little, since I was slightly shorter than him and pressed my lips to his.

"Gross."

I pulled away and looked over at my door. Of course it had to be Emmett standing there in the doorway.

Damien made the door close and he turned back to me. I smiled and went back to kissing him. When I could taste the venom on his teeth I had to pull away slightly because the venom wasn't very appetizing. And when he finally pulled away I stood there staring at him and wishing that I could make today any easier for him.

"I think we should get going soon," I said, "They're probably waiting for us downstairs."

"One more minute," he leaned down for another kiss. I didn't reject him, but I quickly pulled away because I knew I would lose track of time if I let him kiss me for too long.

"We have to go downstairs," I pulled out of his grip and directed him down the stairs, meeting up with the rest of my siblings. Edward was most likely at Bella's house and taking her to school so I was going in Rosalie's new car.

"Wait," Damien stopped me before I could open the garage door.

I glared at him.

"What am I waiting for?"

"Close your eyes," he said.

I sighed and did what he said. I heard him open the door and he took my hand, leading me into the garage. When he stopped me from walking anymore I started to get suspicious.

"Can I open my eyes now?"

"Hold on," I heard him walking around the garage and something was jingling in his hand.

"Ok, now open them."

I slowly opened one eye at a time and gasped at what I saw. In front of me was a Ferrari F430. The exterior was silver and the interior was black.

"Are you serious?" I walked towards him with a smile on my face.

He nodded his head and handed me the keys. I started to jump up and down and kissed him once on the lips.

"You like it?"

"Are you kidding, Damien, I love it."

I couldn't stop smiling as I unlocked the door and sat inside. I put my hands on the wheel and screamed a little bit. He came in on the passenger's side and I hugged him.

"Thank you," I said.

"Anything for you," he replied and kissed me on the cheek.

"So is this how we're getting to school or what?"

"That was the plan, I think everyone else already left."

I immediately put the key in the ignition and opened the garage door. Then I sped down the street and went really fast to see how much speed I could get with this car. It ran pretty smoothly and it went faster than I expected.

"Happy," he looked at me.

"Yes," I smiled.

"Good," he replied.

I sped down the road that led to the town, but unfortunately I would have to slow down soon. It would already make people suspicious when they saw a Ferrari going down the street and I wouldn't want to make them even more suspicious if they saw me speeding as fast as I could go.

"Are you nervous at all?" I asked.

"No, not really," he answered.

I shook my head in disbelief. Maybe I was hoping for him to act a little bit nervous so that I wouldn't feel so stupid about myself when it was my first day and I was freaking out over it.

"You're unbelievable," I muttered.

"Maybe," he smiled.

I laughed and kept on driving through Forks. We finally reached the school and I pulled into the parking lot. Everyone was staring at my car as I drove into the parking spot next to Edward's car. I took the key out of the ignition and turned towards Damien putting my hand on top of his hand.

"You ready?"

He nodded his head. I kissed him on the cheek.

"You'll do great just remember not to breathe too much, unless a teacher asks you something. Edward said he arranged for you and me to be in most of our classes together," I said.

He took one deep breath. I patted his hand and opened my car door. I looked around at all of the people, who were staring at my car, and then I grabbed my bag off of the seat.

I walked around my car and took Damien's hand. Everyone was now staring at him, the new kid in school. I knew that all of the girls would be drooling over him, but I hoped that when they saw us two holding hands I would hope that they would back off.

"Nice car," Edward commented.

I giggled.

"That's not fair, I don't even have a car yet," Alice pouted.

"Hey Bella," I said, ignoring Alice's comment.

She smiled, "I see you got a car." She didn't look surprised.

I nodded my head and looked up at Damien. He was staring at all of the people that were walking past him. I nudged him and tried to make him pay attention to something else. He quickly looked away and stared down at me.

"How are you Damien?" Bella asked.

He didn't speak because I knew that he wasn't breathing.

"Oh, sorry," she said.

I smiled genuinely and started walking towards the school. Edward had already gotten our new schedules. He handed my schedule to me.

I scanned it over and looked at what classes I had this year.

"Gross I have an honors Spanish class," I stuck out my tongue and glanced at Damien's schedule.

It looked almost exactly like mine except I didn't have history with him.

The bell suddenly rang. I quickly looked down at my schedule and saw that Damien and I had literature first. I looked up at him, he was staring at me.

"You ok?"

He nodded his head and we hurried to our first class together. I quickly told my new teacher about Damien and he directed us towards our seats. Damien sat behind me.

I looked around at all the other students that were sitting in their seats next to me. The girl that was sitting on my right was staring back at Damien. I shook my head as she twirled her hair in her fingers. Humans can act so stupid sometimes…

***

Finally it was lunch time. The first couple of periods seemed like they would never end. It was exhausting to have to make sure Damien didn't kill someone. It was hard especially sometimes when I had to try and pull him away because he was stronger than me.

We walked into the cafeteria together and I kept my eyes on him.

"We have to buy food," I whispered.

I directed him towards the lunch line and helped him get food. He threw a sandwich and a water bottle onto his tray and we went to sit down. It wasn't our usual table though; we were sitting with Bella and the rest of her friends. Well, actually, it seemed like there was some sort of boundary line between Edward, Bella, Alice, Damien, Angela and I and Jessica, Lauren, Eric, and Mike. The only nice humans were Angela and Bella. Since Emmett, Jasper, and Rosalie were supposed to be playing an older role, they weren't here anymore. They 'graduated' already.

I sat down next to Alice and Damien sat in the empty seat next to me, away from all of Bella's friends.

"How are you holding up?" I asked.

He finally breathed.

"I'm ok right now," he opened up the water bottle.

It was the first time I heard him speak ever since we came to school. He grabbed my hand from under the table.

"Bella, what do you want for your birthday?" I asked.

She shook her head, "Nothing, please don't remind me about that."

"Well I'm buying you a present whether you like it or not."

"Please don't," she said.

"Aw come on why are you being so bitter, it's your birthday and you're only eighteen once," I replied.

"I don't want anything," she snapped.

I looked down in disappointment. Oh well, I'll just make it a surprise.

Edward chuckled.

I glared at him; _you better not tell her what I'm getting._

He rolled his eyes and went back to talking to Bella and I turned my attention to Damien, who was staring at Jessica. Jessica stared back at him and smiled. I laughed to myself knowing that it really wasn't a compliment when a vampire stares at you that way.

I hit his arm to get his attention and he immediately turned away from her and looked at me. I stared at him and started to worry. I didn't know if he would be able to handle this.

"Do you want to leave?" I asked.

He quickly breathed.

"No, I'll be fine…"

I nodded my head and didn't take my eyes off of him for the rest of the lunch period.

***

It was finally ninth period and Damien and I had physics. I hated this class…it was probably the most boring class out of all the other classes. Damien was sort of having a hard time with all of this. It seemed really overwhelming for him. I wonder why it was so much harder for him. Maybe because he's been killing humans for so long and now it was just too much for him. I felt really bad because I had to watch him go through so much pain. It was hard to just sit there and not do anything about it. I watched the clock and counted down the time, twenty minutes, then fifteen minutes, then seven minutes, and finally two minutes. I glanced back at Damien who was now gripping his desk and staring at the girl in front of him as if he were about to attack her. I looked back up at the clock and watched as it seemed to start to move slower and slower.

"Come on," I whispered.

Then finally it rang and I quickly got out of my seat and went to Damien's side, taking his hand and staring up at him. His eyes were black now.

"Let's get out of here."

I quickly ran out of the school with him and said a quick goodbye to everyone. Then I went into my car and Damien sat next to me, finally breathing.

"I'm so sorry, I didn't think it would get that bad, I should've known-"

"Stop," he whispered.

I calmed down for a second.

"How are you feeling now?" I asked.

"Thirsty," he admitted staring out the windshield at the people.

I quickly put my key into the ignition and drove out of the parking lot, heading for our house. Once we passed the town I quickly went speeding down the road. And when we got into the garage I parked the car and ran into the woods with Damien so we could hunt.

We quickly found some elk like always and I found a mountain lion, but let Damien have it because he needed it more than I did. Then when we were finished with hunting him and I ran to the clearing to have a minute alone before we went back to the house. We walked.

"I feel terrible," I said.

"Why?" he stared at me.

"Because of the pain you had to go through today…it hurt me to see you in so much pain. I would understand if you wanted to leave now and get it over with…"

He stopped me and held my arms so I could look at him.

"I am not going to leave you…don't ever say that."

"Ok," I replied.

We started walking again.

"But I wouldn't blame you if you wanted to…you could probably do so much better…" I sighed.

"You're crazy you know that, why would I want to leave you? You're the best I could ever dream of having…I don't deserve you," he shook his head.

"Well, I'm yours," I smiled, "So you got what you don't deserve I guess."

He stopped walking again and stared out into the distance and then back at me, holding me tight.

"I'll follow you and make a heaven out of hell, and I'll die by your hand which I love so well…" he stated.

I chuckled.

"Stealing Shakespeare lines I see."

"You noticed," he smiled.

"I know Shakespeare very well."

He laughed, "I should've known."

Then he kissed me with as much meaning and as much love as he could ever give me, I thought at least. And I tried to show the same compassion as I kissed him back. And when he pulled away it only left me wanting him more. And then we walked back to our house, cherishing our only moments we had alone by walking as slowly as possible. He was perfect and he was mine…and I was his…nothing else seemed to make sense anymore except for that fact…


	2. 2 Seeking the Past

**so tell me what you think of this everyone**

**i need reviews to know if i should continue...**

**and let me know what you think about the whole thing at the end... ;]  
**

Chapter 2

Seeking the Past

Thinking about Bella's birthday and her birthday present made me realize that I really miss actually aging. As crazy as it sounds I really do miss getting older. I used to hate it when I was human, but now I regret ever thinking that way…

I wanted to actually celebrate her birthday and I'm pretty sure the rest of my siblings did too, since Bella was the only one who could actually have a birthday. Alice decided to throw a party at our house for her. I knew Edward would agree and if Bella refused to go Edward could make her go since he was a lot stronger than her.

So today I was going shopping with Alice for Bella's gift. I didn't know what I was exactly getting her, but I knew I wouldn't let Edward find out. So we went tonight, September twelfth, the night before her birthday…I guess you could say we were cutting it kind of close…

__

"Alice, come on," I shouted, sitting in my new car.

I ran my fingers up and down the interior, feeling the smooth leather. I haven't had a chance to actually admire my new car.

Alice opened up the car door. She had on a new dress. I looked down at my outfit and then back at her.

"Aren't you a little overdressed for shopping?" I asked.

She got into the car, "Nope."

I laughed and sped down the road. I wasn't sure what I would get Bella, but I was hoping that I would find something really special, since she was going to legally be an adult. Alice was overly excited though, she wanted to go all out and get tons of decorations. I didn't really think Bella would be pleased, but I guess she can do what she wants…

"So what exactly, did you get Bella?" I asked.

"Not telling," she smiled.

I rolled my eyes, "I'm not going to tell Bella or Edward."

She shook her head.

"Fine," I gave up knowing that I wouldn't be able to reason with her.

"I'm pretty sure Edward already knows anyways, that's why I'm getting her gift now while Edward's at her house," I stated, feeling confident about my brilliant plan.

She shrugged.

I thought about what I could possibly get for Bella and what she would actually appreciate. It took me a while, but I think I finally knew what I was g-

"Aw," Alice crossed her arms and sat back in her seat.

"What?"

"I should've thought of that," she mumbled.

"Alice, what is it?"

"You're getting Bella a tiffany bracelet, no fair…"

I sighed, "Please don't tell Edward though."

'I won't," she snickered.

Once we got to the mall Alice and I went searching for the gift, well tiffany bracelet. I guess I should've known that Alice would see what I was getting for Bella. I just hoped that she wouldn't tell Edward because I knew he would definitely not keep it a secret from her if she asked about it.

When we got to the tiffany store I bought the gift. Alice got some decorations for the party, which I thought was a little much, and then we went looking around, of course. I bought a new shirt for Damien, since he ruined his last one and got blood all over it and Alice found an outfit for herself to wear to Bella's party tomorrow night. Overall it was a productive day, I mean any day that involves buying a gift for someone and actually finding it is a productive day…but I guess having someone who can see the future around helps too…

***

We finally got back from the mall. It was closing up when we were still looking around and Alice basically yelled at the security guard for 'trying' to make her leave.

"It's only ten thirty how could you be closing!" Alice shouted at the man. I was actually more scared for the security guard more than I was scared for Alice, who was so much smaller than him. It was funny to think that someone as small as her could take down someone as big as him so easily.

I laughed at the memories and walked up to my room, staring at the little box that the bracelet was in. Damien was already in my room, lying on the couch with his eyes closed. I put down the box on my desk and laid next to him, resting my head on his chest. He started rubbing my arm. He was silent, so I decided to start talking.

"What are you thinking about?" I whispered.

"I'm thinking about you right now."

"Before?" I looked up at his pale face.

He hesitated to answer my question.

"Nothing…"

"What is it, you know you can tell me anything," I raised my head and stared up at him.

He sighed, "I was thinking about my parents…trying to remember them actually…"

"I can help," I slipped my hand through his and tried to concentrate, but he pulled his hand away.

"Caroline, you don't have to, I want to try," he kissed my forehead.

I laid there in silence and I knew that I would have to let him try if he wanted to. I wasn't going to argue.

"I love you…you know that, right?" I waited for his response.

"Yes I know, I love you too," he rubbed my arms with his hands and stopped speaking again.

I knew he was trying, but I wanted to help him. I guess I could do it and not tell him if he didn't want to know…

I looked up at his face to make sure he wasn't watching me as I tried. His eyes were closed. So I rested one of my hands on his chest and concentrated on him. I saw everything about his life as a vampire, but I tried to go back farther. I saw his mother and his father, but I looked for something more. I searched for information on his family. It took me a while because I kept seeing the same thing. But then when I finally found something new it shocked me.

I quickly took my hand off of him. I looked up at him; he was shaking his head at me.

"You just couldn't resist, could you."

"No," I looked away, still thinking about what I saw.

It was something I never would've dreamed of happening. It was…heartbreaking…

"You want to tell me?" he said.

I hesitated. Then I nodded my head, regrettably.

"Ok, so what is it?" he rubbed my arms.

"Werewolves," I whispered, my lips were quivering.

"You mean werewolves like the ones we have a treaty with?"

"Yes," I said.

"And?" he kissed my hair.

"And…I saw you with one of them…when you were human…"

"What do you mean?"

"Imprinting…" the words hurt me to say out loud because I knew what they meant. Edward described it to me once and I thought it was stupid and made no sense, but right now it did…more than ever…

"Caroline tell me," he demanded.

"Some werewolf imprinted on you! There are you happy now?!"

I felt like crying right now. It hurt to know that Damien was supposed to be with someone else…especially a werewolf.

He shook his head.

I got up and ran down the stairs. I didn't want to talk to him because I knew it would hurt me to describe everything. I could hear him shouting out my name as I ran into the forest, sobbing, but my face was still dry. I ran as far into the woods as possible and until I couldn't feel my legs anymore. I fell onto the ground with my face in my hands just sobbing. I felt…numb.

"Caroline," I heard him shout.

"Go away," I screamed with my voice shaking.

Why did this have to happen to me? I couldn't just be happy for once…

I felt him put his hand on my back. I didn't pay attention to him, I just kept sobbing. I wish I could actually cry…

"You know I would never leave you for some werewolf," he said.

"You would because you're meant to be with her," I was shaking now.

"I don't even remember her Caroline, she means nothing."

I looked up at him, "Oh really?! Because imprinting means nothing right?!"

He held my face in his hands and made me turn towards him. But luckily I was able to look away.

"I love you and only you."

"But you loved her too…" the words ripped through me.

He didn't have anything to say to that, he was speechless like I was. I couldn't think about it anymore. I wanted to lay here and die.

"I don't know if I did or didn't love her…but right now I know that I love you," his voice was soft, but I didn't let it affect me.

I shook my head.

"What do I have to do to make you believe it?" he said.

"There's nothing you can do…it can't be fixed…"

"Then let's forget about this," he took my hand now.

"I can't…because I know what imprinting means…and I saw you in love with her! Like you were in love with me! How can I forget that the only reason you're not thinking about her right now or wishing she were with you right now is because you forgot your past?" I started shaking again.

He didn't have anything to say anymore. So I took his hands off of me and ran as far away as possible. I needed to be away from him. I couldn't stand being here right now. I didn't know where to go though. I could go back home, but then he would probably be there…

I just needed to get away. So I decided to just keep running until I didn't have any more strength to keep going. I ran as quickly as possible, sobbing every couple minutes. I would have to get it together by tomorrow though. It was the worst feeling in the world. She could still be out there, right now because werewolves stopped aging when they were phasing. Could she still be out there? Could she still…love him or even be alive? But the reason why I was so upset was because…he was in love with her once...and when someone imprints on you, you don't just forget about them…you can't. You see if they imprinted on you and you hated them…then that was how they would leave it…but he loved her…and he was supposed to be in love with her…not me…

I stopped running and sat down.

I shut my eyes tight now. How could I let this happen? How could I feel so happy one second and feel crushed the next?

"I don't want to live here anymore," I whispered to myself. I started sobbing again, "He's not supposed to be with me…"

I heard rustling in the trees and I sighed. He couldn't leave me alone for two minutes could he?

I kept my eyes closed and didn't want to see him. He sat down next to me.

"She means nothing to me," he whispered in my ear. I turned my head away from him. "That was a long time ago…I don't even remember her."

"I know you don't, but to know that you were meant to be with her hurts me Damien," I said.

He wrapped his arms around me.

"Well then someone must've made a mistake because I know I'm meant to be with you."

He pulled me into his lap and I rested my head on his chest.

"I love you Caroline, you and only you and always you," he whispered.

I smiled, "I love you too."

He started rubbing my arms again. I kept my eyes closed and wished that I could dream.

"A werewolf?" he suddenly said.

I chuckled, "It's your past."

He placed both of his hands on my cheeks, "And you're my future."

Then he gently planted his lips on top of mine and I felt the sparks again. I guessed that these sparks reminded me that I really was meant to be with him. And whoever he loved in the past and whatever happened was going to stay in the past. I put my head on his chest again and he hummed a sweet song in my ear. I hoped that both of us could stay this close forever and never have to be apart from each other and let something like this break our relationship. It just seemed like finding more out about his past wouldn't get easier. It seemed like it would only get harder…


	3. 3 Blood Bash

**So let me know what you think everyone =]**

Chapter 3

Blood Bash

I had to get to school early so I could beat Bella to school. She would hate being the center of attention, but that's how it should be, it's her birthday. I quickly got into my car with Damien and drove to school. I brought my gift just in case she wanted to open it at school, but I doubted it. I sped down the road, going as fast as possible, knowing I would have to get there early.

It only took me a couple minutes to finally reach the school. I quickly met up with Edward and Alice, tugging Damien behind me who was still having a hard time with all the humans around. We all waited anxiously by Edward's car for Bella. I had her gift in my hand, checking up at Damien every couple seconds.

Then her car finally pulled into the parking lot. I smiled and waited for her to come out of the car. When she finally did Alice and I walked over to her.

"Happy Birthday Bella!" We shouted in synchronization.

"Shh!" she hissed at us. She started looking around at all the people to see if they heard us.

"Do you want to open your presents now or later?" Alice held up a wrapped box in front of her face.

"No presents," she mumbled.

"Well we got you presents anyways," I added, "Sooner or later you'll thank us."

She shook her head and sighed.

"Did you like the scrapbook your mom sent you? And the camera from Charlie?" Alice asked eagerly.

"Yeah…they're great," she said gloomily.

"I think it's a nice idea. You're only a senior once. You might as well document the experience."

"How many times have you been a senior?" she looked up.

"That's different."

We reached Edward and Damien then and Bella smiled of course as she took Edward's hand. Then I quickly went to my car and put the present back in there. All of us walked into the school together. Damien waited for me by my locker and led the way to our first class. He stopped me by the door and held me tight against him.

"We have to go to class," I said.

He didn't listen to me as he held my face in between his hands and pressed both of our lips together. I let him kiss me, but not for long.

"What are you doing?" I asked, smiling.

"Trying to keep myself focused," he answered.

I elbowed him off of me, "I'm sure there's a better way to keep yourself focused."

"I doubt it."

Then we walked into class, acting as casual as ever as we sat in our seats and waited for this day to be over…

***

As the day passed by slowly I thought about tonight. Hopefully Bella would warm up to the idea of a birthday party. Everyone else seemed to like the idea, except for her. She complains about getting older when I wish I could get older. I was supposed to be eighteen too this year, but that's never going to happen. I'll be frozen at the age of sixteen forever I guess. And Damien was one year older than me so I don't know why she complains about being older than Edward. It seems pointless to worry about things like aging. And what I've realized is that you don't miss something or really appreciate something until it's gone…

But I guess that Bella was really starting to get irritated with us talking about her birthday throughout the whole day so we decided to not bring it up again. Well she better be ready for tonight because I'm sure there's going to be a lot of "Happy Birthday" and "you're finally eighteen" going around the house. Lunch went by pretty quickly; none of us even mentioned the word eighteen or birthday at all and every other class was boring like always.

So after school I promised Alice I would help her decorate the house. And I told Damien he could go hunting while we did it, just in case he lost control while he was around Bella. So Damien would take Edward's car and Edward was going with Bella and Alice with me in my car. I went to my locker and got all of my books out so I could quickly get home. Suddenly one of my books fell, but I saw Damien catch it for me before it could hit the ground.

"Thanks," I said, quickly closing my locker and giving him a peck on the lips.

He took my hand and we started walking out of the school together.

"So, I was thinking after all of this birthday stuff is over with, maybe you and I could go somewhere alone," he said.

I stopped.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, maybe we could go on a little vacation somewhere together…get away from it all," he smiled.

"Where did you have in mind?"

"I have an idea…" he said, directing me out of the school.

"Of course, I would love to, but I would at least like to know where we would be going," I looked up at him and hoped for an answer.

He shook his head, "It's a surprise."

I sighed. I didn't like surprises too much.

He turned towards me, "Smile, we have a party to go to," he kissed me once.

I grinned a little bit just to make him happy. Alice was waiting for me by my car, tapping her foot and I could tell that she was getting impatient with me by the expression on her face.

"I have to go," I squeezed his hand one more time, "Catch a mountain lion for me, ok?"

He chuckled and nodded his head. Then I let go of him and quickly walked over to my car.

"Come on we're behind schedule!" Alice shouted.

"You have a schedule?"

"Maybe…" she got into the car.

I started up the engine and hit the gas pedals. It took me a while to get out of the parking lot, but when I did I sped up as quickly as I possibly could. I had to get home quickly so Alice wouldn't start having a fit about the party not going as planned. I was actually kind of scared to see what kind of things she actually had planned for this. We finally reached the house and I quickly parked my car in the garage.

Alice ran into the house and immediately grabbed the decorations out of her room. She set down a whole box….no wait three boxes of decorations on the dining room table. Looked like more than decorations though…

"Aren't you going a little overboard?" I asked, looking at all of the pointless stuff in the boxes.

"Not at all," she smiled.

Jasper and Emmett came to help, while Rosalie wrapped the box for the new radio they were getting for Bella's car. Mind you I said box, not the actual radio, I guess Emmett was going to install it in her truck when she got here so she wouldn't have time to reject the gift.

I lined big bowls of pink roses out on the stairs that led up to the door. Emmett hung up some lights in both the upstairs and downstairs windows. On the porch, Alice and Jasper put up some Japanese laterns. Once we finished the outside it was time to start the inside. Alice told us to cover every flat surface with pink candles and dozens of crystal bowls filled with hundreds of roses. After that we set up a table to put the presents on and more roses were scattered all over it. Then Esme made a chocolate cake, which I didn't stick around to help make since it smelled so gross, especially when they started putting pink frosting on it…disgusting….

Edward was planning on bringing Bella back here around seven. It was six thirty right now. So I had a half an hour to spare. I went up to my room and got changed into one of the nicest outfits I could find in my closet and got dressed quickly. Then I left out Damien's clothes so he wouldn't have to worry about messing up the outfit by putting together something that didn't match.

After I finished getting ready I went down stairs and saw that Damien was just getting home from his hunting trip. I smiled and walked up to him; he wrapped his arms around me and kissed my forehead.

"You look beautiful," he said.

"I guess…So did you catch something for me?"

"Yes, I caught a grizzly bear just for you," he rubbed my back with his soft hands.

"A grizzly huh?" those are the best.

"Yes…" he kissed my hair.

"Looks like Alice went all out for this party."

I chuckled, "Doesn't she always?"

He nodded and took me up in his arms, carrying me into my room.

"I could've done that myself," I said.

"Isn't it more romantic if someone else does it for you though?" his smile was breathtaking.

Then he set me down.

"Yes," I replied, "Get changed Edward and Bella are going to be here soon."

I handed him his clothes and he started to get ready. I tried to not look, but his perfectly toned body was so hard not to stare at. Once he finished I grabbed Bella's gift and we walked down the stairs. I met the rest of my family in the living room and we waited for Bella to arrive. I set my present down onto the table along with everyone else's gifts and the huge cake. I wondered why it was so big…there was only one person who was going to eat it...

I suddenly heard the car pulling up into the driveway. Alice started getting all giddy as I heard their footsteps coming up the porch. When they opened the door we all stood up.

"Happy Birthday Bella!" we all shouted.

She started blushing and looked down. Edward wrapped his arm around her waist and kissed the top of her head. Carlisle and Esme greeted her with hugs and Rosalie didn't even say hi or anything, while Emmett stood there with a huge grin on his face.

"You haven't changed at all," he said, "I expected a perceptible difference, but here you are, red-faced just like always."

"Thanks a lot, Emmett," she blushed even deeper now.

He laughed.

"I have to step out for a second," he winked at Alice, "Don't do anything funny while I'm gone."

"I'll try."

When she came to me I gave her a warm hug, "Sorry about this, Bella, we couldn't rein Alice in," I whispered.

She chuckled, "That's ok."

Damien just smiled at her and didn't touch her, which was understandable, "Happy Birthday Bella."

"Thanks Damien," she smiled weakly at him.

Alice skipped forward while Jasper kept his distance. He leaned against the post at the foot of the stairs.

"Time to open presents," Alice suddenly said.

Alice towed Bella over to the table with the cake and all of the silver wrapped gifts. I chuckled at the face Bella made.

"Alice I know I told you I didn't want anything-,"

"But I didn't listen," she handed her the big box, it was the radio, "Open it."

She took away the camera that was in Bella's hands and replaced it with the gift. She read the tag and tore off the paper that was on it. When she realized the box was empty she made a face. I chuckled.

"Um…thanks," she said.

Rosalie and Jasper both laughed, "It's a stereo for your truck. Emmett's installing it right now so that you can't return it," Jasper explained.

"Thanks Jasper, Rosalie," she grinned at them, "Thanks Emmett!" she shouted.

Then she picked up the one that I bought for her.

"It's from me and Damien," I told her.

She grinned and started to open it. When she found out what it was the grin slowly went away. Then when she took it out of the box she stopped grinning and frowned. I was expecting that sort of a reaction from her.

"Caroline you really shouldn't have…this is way too expensive," she said.

"I wanted to do it for you Bella," I smiled at her and quickly went to her side, "Let me help you put it on."

I picked up the bracelet and helped her put it onto her wrist. She admired it for a moment and finally started smiling again.

"Thanks Caroline and you too Damien."

"You're welcome," Damien said.

I walked back to his side and slipped my hand through the open spaces of his hand.

"Open mine and Edward's next," Alice was so excited.

She walked over to the table and quickly gave it to Bella. She looked up at Edward.

"You promised."

Emmett came through the door, not leaving Edward a chance to answer to Bella.

"Just in time," Emmett went to Rosalie's side.

"I didn't spend a dime," Edward assured her.

She turned back to Alice and sighed, "Give it to me."

I never saw someone so negative about gifts before…

She took the package from Alice and started to rip the paper. When suddenly she jerked it under the tape and the worst thing that could possibly happen, happened.

"Shoot," she muttered, realizing she sliced her finger.

A drop of blood was oozing out of the little cut on her finger. Everyone's eyes were on Bella, including mine. I felt Damien squeeze my hand tightly. I immediately thought of him, attacking her. I turned around and held his face in my hands. His eyes were black.

"Damien keep your eyes on me, not Bella," I said, trying to make him look at me.

"No," I heard Edward shout.

I turned my head around and all I saw was Edward flinging himself at Bella making her fly across the table. The table fell along with Bella and the cake and the presents and the bowls full of flowers. She landed in the shattered crystals. I saw it…the blood…all of the sweet blood gushing out of her arm as I saw Jasper ram into Edward. I stared at Bella's arm, starting to lose control. Then I thought of Damien… I suddenly turned around. He was growling and about ready to attack Bella. I quickly went in front of him and took both of his hands.

"Damien stop!" I snapped at him.

He didn't listen. I took one deep breath and I smelled her blood again. I started turning around and bared my teeth, but I felt him squeeze my hand again, making me pay attention to him. I could hear everyone else in the background, struggling to keep Jasper in control. Damien's growling was growing louder and louder.

"Stop!" I shouted again.

I could hear Bella's pulse racing now. I could smell it, like it was oxygen and I needed it. It was all around me and there was no way to escape it, except for…outside.

I tugged on Damien and led him out the door. Then I ran into the forest, trying to go as far away as possible. I knew that if I were to stay in there any longer then I would probably kill her. I ran until I felt Damien let go of my hand. I turned around. He was sitting now.

"How are you feeling?" I asked.

"Terrible."

I sat next to him and rested my head on his shoulder.

"I'm sorry," he whispered.

"Damien, don't-,"

"No, I almost killed her…"

I didn't know what I could say to him now.

"I don't want to know what it would do to you if I killed her…"

I stared at him, "I wouldn't feel any differently about you."

He shook his head, "Maybe you should."

"I won't, I never will. It would hurt me to lose you."

I climbed into his lap and made myself comfortable. He touched the palm of my hand and started tracing patterns on my arm.

"I love you too much to ever think of leaving you," I whispered.

He kissed the top of my head, "So even if I go killing a whole crowd of people you would still love me?"

"Yes, I would."

I reached up and started to kiss him. Then I started fiercely kissing him and showing him how much I loved him. I weaved my fingers through his hair and locked his lips on mine so they wouldn't leave. And realizing that from my kissing, I really meant what I said, he kept on kissing me and we didn't stop and didn't want to ever have to stop because both of us were in love with each other and that was the way we wanted it to be. He was mine and I wanted him…right now more than anything…


	4. 4 Vacation

**please, please, please review!!!**

**let me know what you think of this so far ;]  
**

Chapter 4

Vacation

I laid there on the ground next to Damien, with his arm wrapped around me. I buried my head under his arm and closed my eyes, wishing I could sleep. I slowly got up a little bit and sat up on my elbow, turning my body towards him. He kept his eyes closed, which most likely meant he was trying to remember. I started to trace my fingers over his perfect body. Then he suddenly opened his eyes and smiled.

"How are you?" he asked.

"Great," I grinned and stared down at his chest.

He sat up next to me and kissed me once, "Were you planning on going to school?"

"Actually, I really don't want to…" I'm pretty sure no teenager wants to go to school.

"Then do you want to go on our trip today. That was the plan," he smiled in excitement.

"I really want to but-,"

"But what?" he looked at me, flashing his teeth because he knew I couldn't resist.

"Nothing," I said in defeat. I did want to go, but I didn't want to leave my family for so long…not after what happened yesterday.

"You seem less than happy to go, I thought you would've been more enthusiastic about this."

I snuggled into his lap, "I really do want to go, but it's just with everything that happened last night…"

He kissed the top of my head, "I'll do whatever makes you happy."

I smiled as he held me in close to him. I felt safe and comfortable and feeling this way made me realize how much I did want these moments alone to last.

"Let's go," I muttered, "It'll make me happy if we go."

He chuckled, "You just said that you didn't want to."

I placed my arms around his head and kissed him, "I want to go with you."

"Whatever makes you happy," he whispered.

I closed my eyes and took in his wonderful scent and got lost as he started to kiss me again compassionately. His lips felt perfect when they touched mine. Like they were meant to touch each other and fit together. And then, when he pulled away, it only left me wanting more of him. But that could wait. He set me down on the ground and stood up and I did the same. Then he took my hand and we ran through the forest.

Once we found the little pathway that led up to our house we slowed down and took our time. He made the door open, keeping his eyes on me and we walked into the house. Edward was the first person I saw. He was sitting in the living room with a dark expression on his face. Damien quickly kissed me and ran up the stairs.

"Going on a trip?" Edward asked.

I planted myself next to him, "Yes."

I could tell that Edward wasn't himself. He was usually smiling and happy, but he wasn't doing any of that right now. But then I remembered what happened last night. He must feel terrible…like always he was probably blaming himself.

"This is my fault," he mumbled.

"Stop it Edward. It was just a simple paper cut-,"

He shook his head, "And that paper cut led to her almost getting killed, right?"

I looked down.

"She had to get stitches just because she cut her finger on a piece of paper. I don't think anything like that would happen if she ended up with Mike Newton."

My eyes narrowed, "What does Mike Newton have to do with any of this?"

"My point is that if she were with a human instead of a vampire then she wouldn't have to be put at risk at her own birthday party," he shuddered from the memories.

"So what are you going to do?"

I was scared to find out his answer, but I could already tell where this was going.

"I need to do what's best for her…and if that means me being out of her life…then I'll stay out of her life."

I shook my head. He couldn't do that.

"I have to."

"You can't Edward!"

He shut his eyes and didn't look at me, "I need to do what's best for her."

"So you think leaving would be best for her? Do you even know how much you mean to her?"

I could tell that I wasn't helping much, but I needed to say that.

"I don't love her anymore…" he was lying through his teeth. I could tell by his expression.

"Stop lying I know you love her!" I shouted.

"Listen to me! I can't be with her anymore Caroline I can't! I've already hurt her too much!"

I felt someone's hands on my shoulders and I turned around. Damien was staring at Edward and looked like he was about to tackle him if he needed to. I sighed.

"Look, I'm just saying that I think you're making a big mistake…" I got up and took Damien's hand not looking back to see the expression on Edward's face.

If he was going to leave her then I didn't even want to think about it right now. I just wanted to think about Damien and this surprise trip he was taking me on. Nothing else mattered right now. The only thing that mattered was being able to be with Damien alone without any distractions or things to worry about.

We quickly went up to my room and he started taking our clothes out of the big closet. I watched him and tried to see what kinds of clothes he was packing, so I could tell what kind of place we were going to at least. He suddenly stopped and put down the clothes that were in his hands, walking over to me.

"Can you please tell me where we are going?" I pleaded.

He chuckled and touched my face with his fingertips, "I'll only give you a hint."

"Can't you just tell me?"

"That would ruin the whole point of the surprise."

I rolled my eyes, "I guess so."

"Let's just say it's somewhere that not too many humans know about," he pecked me once on the lips.

I sighed and groaned, "That doesn't explain anything."

"It explains just enough," he started packing our clothes again.

I heard Edward slam the door downstairs as he left the house. He was the only one going to school today. I didn't want to think about him though.

"When are we leaving?" I asked.

"Once I'm finished," he said.

"Are we taking a plane?"

He didn't answer me.

I sighed, "Tell me."

He walked over to me and put both of his hands on my face, "Trust me on this," then he started to kiss me and I lost my train of thought. Everything else seemed to just go away and it was only him and I that existed. It was amazing how I could feel that way just when he kissed me.

"Why don't you just tell me? Then I would stop being annoying."

He shook his head and went back to packing. I stood there, waiting for him to hurry up and finish. I was just anxious to find out where we were actually going. Seriously I would be fine if we just went into the forest by our house as long as I get to be alone with him. That's really all I wanted was to be alone with him. Nothing else mattered. He finally finished packing everything that we would need, which was basically clothes.

He reached out to take my hand and I hesitated to agree. I wanted some sort of an explanation.

"Caroline, I love you, and I want this to be a surprise. I want you to enjoy this," he smiled.

I sighed and took his hand. Then he led the way down the stairs and out the door. He had the suitcase in his hand and put it into the trunk of my car and opened the passenger side door for me. I guess he would have to drive us there, wherever we were going. He got into the driver's side and held my hand while he drove. I could tell which direction we were going in. It was towards the airport, so obviously we were going somewhere far. I figured I would know where we were going once we got there so I left it alone when we were in the airport.

Once we got there Damien took care of our luggage and everything else. Then we sat and waited for our plane to board. I stared at the flights board and tried to figure out where we were going based on the times. Our plane was scheduled to board at ten and it was nine thirty right now. So I stared at the board and searched for the couple of places that were boarding at ten. There was one for Florida, New York, and Texas. I thought about the possibilities of which places he would take me too. Anyone of these seemed possible, but I was thinking Texas since that was where he lived for most of his life.

I felt him rubbing my hands and kiss my cheek. I laid my head on his shoulder and stopped trying to figure it out. I guess I could live with one surprise. They had to tell us where we were going on the plane so it doesn't matter anyways.

***

Finally we were boarding the plane. I sat by the window seat and waited for them to actually say where we were going. I was way too anxious about figuring this out. I really should just relax. This was a vacation and that's what people were supposed to do…but I'm a vampire not a human….

"Our flight to Key West will be taking off shortly. Everyone buckle your seatbelts and please turn off all electrical devices. Thank you and have a great trip," the pilot said.

Key West…that's in Florida. I looked over at Damien and smiled. There was only one problem with that.

"Isn't it sunny in Florida?" I whispered.

"Yes, but Alice told me it was going to rain today, so we're safe. I told you I had this all planned out," he said.

I chuckled, "I guess I should've known."

The plane finally took off.

"So what are we going to do when we get there?" I asked.

"Whatever you want to do."

I smiled and rested my head on his arm. I looked down at our hands and saw the scars that went up his arm. I stared at each of the bit marks that led up to one that was on his neck. I didn't even want to think about how he got these scars. I shuddered.

"Are you ok?" he asked me in a soft and soothing voice.

I nodded and looked away from his scars. He kissed my forehead and started humming a sweet song in my ear. Suddenly I started seeing parts of his past. He was fighting off some of the newborns and one suddenly jumped onto his back and dug its teeth into his neck. I shut my eyes tight and let go of his hand. Then I covered my face with my hands and tried to stop myself from seeing that anymore.

I felt his arms on my shoulders.

"What happened?" he whispered.

I wrapped my arms around his neck and started sobbing in his chest. But I figured I should stop since people would probably think I was going nuts or something.

"Caroline, what's wrong?"

"Nothing, I just saw something I didn't want to see."

"What was it?" he stared at me in concern.

I looked at his neck and touched the crescent with my fingertips.

He sighed and took me in his arms again, "I'm sorry you had to see that."

"It's ok, I'll be fine," I never wanted to see something like that again.

"I love you," he breathed into my ear and it shot shivers down my spine.

"I love you too," I replied.

The rest of the plane ride was relaxing, Damien held me in his arms the rest of the way. I stared out of the window and waited for us to finally reach Key West. I didn't know why he wanted to take me here, but I guess I would just have to wait and see. I'm really impatient though….

Once the plane landed we got our luggage and finished up in the airport. Alice was right, it was raining, thankfully. So we were safe from sparkling today. We got a cab and Damien told the cab driver where to go. I had no idea what he said to him though. It was still a complete mystery to me. I don't even think the driver knew where he was going exactly because Damien had to tell him which ways to go as we drove. So driving there took almost two hours until the cab driver finally stopped. It was just a road, there wasn't anything else there.

Damien paid the cab driver and got out of the car, reaching his hand out to take mine. I stepped out of the car, but I was completely oblivious as to what we were doing right here on a road. I thought we would go to a hotel or something…I guess not.

"Thank you," Damien told the driver.

Then he turned to me and grinned, "Do you know where we are?"

"We're on a road," I said.

He chuckled and we started walking. He went through the trees, still carrying the suitcase. I was thinking that this wasn't much of a trip, we were basically hiking through this forest…or jungle. I stepped over plants and waited for some sort of an explanation, but he didn't give me any he just kept walking. I stopped and let go of his hand.

"What are we doing?" I asked, furious.

"We're almost there," he said.

"Almost where, what are you talking about?" he took my hand and dragged me through the trees again.

I started to hear a couple of voices, a man and a woman. I heard the ocean hitting against the rocks and the buzz of the animals around us. Then I could finally see an opening ahead of us. He led the way until we were finally out of the trees and stepped into a whole new place. There were palm trees and rattan plants all around. And right in the middle laid two little cottages. In the front of the area was the ocean, it was beautiful too, even on this gloomy day. I could hear the two voices again in one of the cottages. The lights were on. I looked up at Damien, dazed and confused.

"What is this place?" I asked.

"This is where I went after I left the newborn army," he started to walk again, his hand still locked with mine.

We walked up to the cottage that had the lights on. The voices were clearer now; both were speaking in a calm tone.

Damien knocked on the door. I could hear the footsteps of the two people coming towards the door and when it opened all I saw were two young, beautiful…vampires? Their faces were pale and their eyes were red. Both had grins on their faces when they saw Damien and I. The woman had short, blonde hair and was about my age and the man had curly dark hair and was tall, he seemed older than the other. The girl hugged Damien.

"You finally decided to visit us," she said.

Then she turned to me, "Who's this?"

"This is Caroline. Caroline meet Grace."

I reached my hand to shake her hand, but instead she hugged me. I smiled awkwardly. Then I looked up at the tall one.

"This is Zane," Damien told me.

I shook his hand and he smiled at me, "It's a pleasure to meet you."

We stood there for a moment.

"Well come in," Grace told us.

I glanced up at Damien and he led the way into the little cottage. There was one big room with a kitchen that opened into the living and dining room. The walls were all windows and the floor was paneled wood. They directed us towards the living room. The windows looked out into the ocean. I sat down next to Damien and kept staring at him. I didn't know anything about these people. I felt sort of awkward. Damien squeezed my hand once. Then Grace came into the room with a huge smile on her face staring at the two of us.

"So I guess I should say something about myself first, huh," Grace said.

Zane sat down next to her.

"Yes, that would help," Damien replied.

"Well where do I begin."

"From the beginning," Damien chuckled.

Grace rolled her eyes at him and turned her attention to me. I smiled a little.

"I was living in Texas at the time with my family, I was fifteen. My mother and father were very successful people and I always looked up to them. I had an older brother who was one of my best friends. He was eighteen at the time. Both of us would always be hanging out together and we would make jokes and just have fun. But one day he changed. He said he was going out with his friends and that was it, but he didn't come back. I would wait for him and sit there looking outside to see if he was there, but he never returned.

"So my parents told the police that he went missing and we waited for some sort of explanation, but they couldn't find any sign of him. So after a year or so of searching they gave up and said that there was nothing else they could do.

"One day my parents told me that my brother was dead and they said he wasn't coming back. I didn't think was true, there had to be some other reason, he couldn't be dead. He was supposed to be there for me and watch over me. I would cry every night and I would scream out his name hoping he would hear me and come back, but he didn't.

"One night I was sitting by my window and looking up at the stars knowing that my brother was watching over me. But then I saw something outside of my window, something scary. I couldn't exactly see what it was, but I knew it wasn't something normal. So I put my coat on and went outside to see what it was. Once I got outside I started to hear growling. So I slowly crept towards the noise. When I saw the figure I knew who it was right away. It was my brother, but he was different. He changed. I called out his name a couple of times to get his attention, but when I saw what he was doing I stopped dead in my tracks, but it was too late he already heard me.

"When the moonlight shined on his face I saw his red eyes and his pale skin and blood all over him. I called out his name once more and started walking towards him. And then he started growling at me, but I didn't move. For some reason I knew he wouldn't hurt me. He walked slowly towards me and whispered my name once, but then he started growling again and dug his teeth into my skin. And now I'm this."

She grinned a little.

"So, where's your brother now?" I asked.

She looked over at Zane. I flashed my eyes between the two of them, seeing their resemblance now. Both of them stared at me.

"So how about you Caroline?" Grace asked.

"I was turned into a vampire about two years ago, by my adopted brother Edward. He saved me," I tried to make a long story short.

Grace nodded her head.

"Any abilities?"

"Yes," I answered, "I can see into people's pasts."

"Interesting," Zane chimed in.

I glanced over at Damien, who was smiling at me.

"So how about you? Do you have any talents?" I asked.

"I do," Grace said, "Invisibility is my talent."

She reminded me of Alice because she seemed to always be happy and she was pixie like.

"So you two probably want some privacy. The cottage next to ours is where you'll stay," Zane said.

Damien and I got up and we walked with Grace and Zane and followed them out of their cottage and to ours. Damien kissed my hair and we walked hand in hand into our own little cottage. It looked exactly like Grace and Zane's but in some ways it was different. Like there was one bedroom instead of two and it was more 'romantic' than theirs.

"We'll leave you two alone," Grace winked once at us and she skipped out of the house, closing the door behind her.

Damien made the door lock after they left and immediately turned his full attention on me. He put both of his hands on my cheeks.

"So, how do you like it so far?" he asked.

"It's amazing," I answered, "Grace and Zane seem nice."

He smiled and started to kiss me. I started to fiercely press my lips against his. He kissed my neck once and then went back to my lips. Then we started kissing each other forcefully. He stopped and pulled me up into his arms and went into the bedroom, which surprisingly had a bed in it. Then he set me down and went back to kissing me.

"I love you," I said.

"You know I love you," he replied and kissed me again.

Then I stopped him again and took off my shirt, dropping it onto the floor. He didn't disagree and he took his shirt off as well, showing off his perfectly toned body. I ran my fingers over his chest one time and then we both started kissing again, wanting this to go on forever…


	5. 5 Surprises

**soo...let me know what you think.... ;]**

Chapter 5

Surprises

I listened to the waves hitting against the rocks. I could smell the scent of salt water lingering through the air. I kept my eyes closed and just listened to all of the beautiful noises around me. It was peaceful here, which is how a vacation spot should, only this wasn't actually a vacation spot that any humans knew about. I felt his arm wrap around my waist. I smiled and put my hand on top of his hand, while I listened to everything around me. He kissed my neck and I felt his sweet breath on my skin as he inhaled and exhaled.

Suddenly I started seeing flashes of his past going through my mind. Some were recent and some were from a long time ago. Then one thing flashed into my head. I saw Damien with another man. He was tall and had light brown hair. This was a familiar face…someone I knew, but I couldn't put my finger on who it was. Damien was by…our house. This wasn't too long ago…from last March maybe, since no one else seemed to be home. Damien was baring his teeth at this other man and he was about ready to attack him. The man looked like he was trying to reason with Damien and when he realized what Damien was he backed off. Then in that instant, when he turned around, I knew exactly who he was. It was someone I never wanted to see again and I never thought that I would have to. It was Robert…the man who killed me.

I sat up and gasped. My breathing got heavier. Damien sat up next to me with a concerned look on his face.

"Are you ok?" he asked.

I couldn't speak I sat there frozen. He rubbed my arms with his soft hands and I started seeing Robert again. I got up from the bed.

"What's wrong?" he said.

"What was he doing at our house," I stood there waiting for his response.

"Who?"

I hesitated.

"Robert," I managed to say.

Damien didn't say anything. I heard him get up from the bed and come over to where I was standing. He was now standing in front of me and he put both of his hands on my cheeks.

"What did you see?" he stared into my eyes.

"I saw him at our house. When we were gone with Bella and you were home. He was talking to you."

He held me tight against him and I laid my head on his chest.

"What did he say to you?" I whispered.

He started humming in my ear and avoided my question.

"Damien, what did he say?" I repeated myself.

He stopped humming and kissed my hair once. Then he loosened his grip on me and I looked up at his face. He looked distressed.

"I need to know," I said.

He shut his eyes and stopped breathing for a moment. Then he opened up his eyes.

"He knew that you weren't dead and he was looking for you. He heard that you were living here and he asked me if you were home."

He stopped talking.

"What else," I said.

"I asked him what his name was and when I realized who he was I was ready to kill him for what he did to you. I didn't know how or why he knew you were a vampire, but he wasn't too startled when I started growling at him."

He kissed my forehead once.

"What could he have wanted," I said to myself.

"Don't worry about it," he whispered in my ear.

"He wants to kill me."

"I'll kill him if he tries to lay a hand on you. But I'm pretty sure you could kill him as well."

I was still stunned. Why was he looking for me? And how did he know about vampires?

"So, what do you want to do today?" he asked, changing the subject.

I paused for a moment and stopped thinking about him.

"Anything," I replied.

He chuckled, "It's a beautiful day today." He looked out the window.

I turned my head and saw the sun shining and the beautiful blue ocean.

"Since it's sunny we should probably hang around here."

"Yeah you're probably right," I said.

"So, get dressed and I'll meet you outside," he kissed me once on the lips and ran into the bathroom, with his clothes in his hands.

I sighed and picked out a beach appropriate outfit. I guess I could wear my swimsuit under my clothes. I wasn't sure if I wanted to swimming, I would only go if Damien was going. Then once I quickly finished I went to the window and stared out at the trees and the water. The sounds were calming and soothing. I was glad that I could go out in the sun and not have to worry about humans seeing me. One of the best feelings in the world was not having to hide who I was.

I went out into the living room of our small cottage, admiring all of the beautiful things in there. I didn't really have time yesterday to look at anything. There was a kitchen, but I didn't really understand why since none of us ate actual food. Oh well, I guess it's not my place to say anything. It was still a beautiful house. Damien finally came out of the bathroom, only with a swimsuit on. I was stunned when I saw his perfect body, well I don't think there's ever been a time when I wasn't stunned by him.

He took my hand and we walked outside. Both of us were sparkling now since we were in the sunlight. I didn't have to be ashamed of myself for once and I didn't have to hide.

"So, do you want to go snorkeling without the snorkels?" he asked.

I chuckled, "Yes."

He led the way to the water. Grace suddenly popped up behind us. I almost forgot about her talent.

"So, your night went well I see," she grinned.

I knew if I were human then I would blush right now, but I didn't I just turned away from her.

"Grace please," Damien said.

"Oh, don't worry I won't bother you. I'm just going hunting. I'll see you two later," she winked and then skipped out of our sight.

Damien turned towards me, "Sorry about her."

"That's ok," I said and smiled.

He reached out his hand and I took it. Then he went into the water. I was more hesitant though, I used to hate swimming, but I guess since I don't have to breathe then I don't have to worry about it anymore. So I stepped in, one foot at a time. It was so bad. Damien went under the water first and I slowly followed after him. I didn't breathe and I stayed underneath the water.

He led the way and went deeper and deeper into the ocean. We saw sea turtles and tropical fish and even a hammerhead shark. I got some coral and collected some shells to take home with me. We stayed down there for an hour or two and didn't come up at all. It was nice to not have to worry about anything. I could just relax and have a good time for once. When we finished with our snorkeling we sat on the beach and just enjoyed being with each other. He laid down on the sand and I laid next to him. I rested my head against his side and he wrapped one arm around me. I stared at his sparkling skin, which made him even more beautiful than before. Then I started to run my fingers up and down his soft skin.

"You are so beautiful," he whispered to me.

"No I'm not," I kept tracing over the crescents on his skin.

"I beg to differ."

I chuckled.

I started counting the scars on his body, not realizing how many there really were, but I started to lose count so I stopped. I rested my hand on the one scar that was on his stomach.

"I'm happy that you're with me," I said.

"There's nowhere else I'd rather be then here with you."

I outlined the scar on his sparkling skin with my fingers.

"Don't you think that you deserve someone better though? Like someone who's actually worth being around. I mean you've been through so much, so don't you want someone who can actually give you something."

"Stop talking like that Caroline," he said.

"No, tell me can't you do so much better than…than me?"

He kissed the top of my head.

"I don't think there's anyone better than you."

"Don't lie."

He sighed.

"I'm one hundred percent sure that you're the best I could ever have. And you mean more to me than life itself. I love you more than anything in this world."

I smiled and got closer to him.

"Do you need more of an explanation or are you satisfied with my answer."

I laughed, "I'm satisfied."

He rubbed my skin with his hands.

I sat up and he did the same. He opened his arms and I snuggled into his lap. I turned my body to face his body and wrapped my arms around his head.

"I love you," I said.

He smiled and kissed me fiercely. Then he pulled away and stared me in the eyes.

"Caroline Cullen, you mean everything to me," he said, "You are the center of my world."

"Ok I believe you," I smiled.

He chuckled. He just smiled and didn't say a word. His smile made me smile and I felt as happy as I could ever feel.

"So, tonight, I wanted to do something special for you," he said.

"Another surprise?"

"Yes, but I want you to be completely surprised."

"Ok, I won't nag you about it," I admitted. But I wasn't keeping any promises.

"Good," he replied.

Then he kissed me again fiercely and we didn't have to worry about anything else. We could just be together and not have to be afraid of losing each other because we both knew that we wanted to be together. And I hoped that he wanted to be with me forever, as much as I wanted to be with him forever.

***

After a long day of relaxing out on the beach Damien was going to take me somewhere…I think. I surprisingly didn't ask any questions about it because I didn't feel like arguing at this point. Everything was perfect right now and nothing could stop me from being happy. I walked into the bedroom. My cell phone suddenly rang and I was hesitant to picking it up. I waited after a couple of rings and saw that it was Alice. I sighed and answered it.

"Hello?" I said.

"Caroline!" she screamed in my ear.

"Yeah, it's me. What's up?"

"Should I give you the good news or the bad news first?" she said.

I groaned…well I guess perfection was too good of a word to use, knowing that my life was never going to be perfect.

"Give me the bad news first," I muttered.

"Edward left Bella!" she shouted.

I shook my head; Of course that's typical Edward, he just runs away from everything.

"And," I stated.

"And now he's going to…well I'm not sure he keeps changing his mind. But all I know is that he told her that we would never be coming back," she explained.

I stood there silent.

"So, what you're saying is we're not going back to Forks?" I asked.

"Yes and I don't know what to do I mean I love Bella and I just don't want it to end this way."

I didn't know what to say to her. How could I encourage her and let her know everything's going to be ok?

"Alice, listen to me, you have to tell Edward he's making a mistake," I said.

"I don't know where he is though! His future keeps changing one minute he wants to go back to Forks and then suddenly he'll change his mind about it."

I couldn't move at this point. I was frozen and I didn't know how to move.

"So, that's it…" I managed to let the words come out of my mouth, "We won't see her anymore?"

She sighed, "I don't think it would be right to go back now…not when he just broke her heart…it would be too painful for her."

I knew that she was right. We had to think of Bella and put her before us at this point.

"Well, call me if you find anything out," I said.

"I will," she replied.

I almost forgot that there was some good news that she wanted to tell me about.

"So, you said something about good news," I stated, trying to ease the tension.

"Oh, right!" her voice suddenly lightened up again. I could basically feel her excitement on the phone and it made me a little happier, "It's about tonight!"

"Don't spoil it for me Alice. Damien wanted it to be a surprise."

"And you should be surprised so I'm only going to tell you this…and you have to say yes," her hesitation made me a little nervous because well…she's Alice and anything I would have to agree to with Alice meant it was something I would probably say no to.

"Ok," I said, waiting for a response.

"I'm going to do everything! Bye!" she quickly hung up the phone and didn't leave me any time to ask questions.

I threw my cell phone onto the mattress and pondered for a moment. I heard someone come into the room. He wrapped his arms around my waist and kissed my cheek.

"I'm surprised you haven't asked me any questions about tonight," he said.

I chuckled, "I've learned that it's not worth it and I kind of want to be surprised."

"That's a first," he kissed me, "So, get ready and when you're finished we can go."

"What do I wear?" I asked.

"Anything, you always look beautiful."

"That doesn't help me," I laughed, "But I'll figure something out."

"I'll leave the room," he kissed me again, sending chills down my spine and then in an instant I was alone.

I went into the closet and looked for something nice that I could wear…something kind of formal, but not too formal I guess…

My cell phone rang again and I quickly went and picked it up.

"Hello?"

"There should be a dress in there that I told Damien to bring," Alice said.

I chuckled, "Thanks."

"No problem, have fun!"

Then she hung up and I looked in the closet for the dress. When I finally managed to find it I was a little confused. This looked a lot more formal than I thought. It was black and short with some sparkles on it. It looked like a little much, but I really didn't have anything else to wear. So I took it off of the hanger and put it on. Then I put on a pair of nice flat shoes so I could be comfortable in at least one way. I looked in the mirror…it was definitely more formal than it needed to be. I shook my head and sighed, only Alice would do something like this.

Then I went into the bathroom and used a curling iron to curl my hair a little bit even though it was naturally curly. I just wanted by hair to match the dress, which actually made me look even paler then I already was, which seemed impossible. I heard a knock on the door. I turned my head to see Damien in a shirt and tie and smiling his perfect smile. Well at least he looked dressed up too, but I didn't really get why we had to be so dressed up.

"You look amazing," he said, staring at me.

I smiled, "Thanks…and you don't look too bad yourself."

He chuckled and walked over to me and pulled me in close to him.

"Now where are you taking me?" I asked starting to get anxious.

He shook his head and flashed his teeth at me. I sighed.

"You'll find out soon enough, just be patient."

"I'm naturally impatient so I can't," I said.

"Well try," he pecked me once on the lips.

I chuckled. Then he let go of me and took my hand. I had no idea as to where we were going, but I would be happy and I would be surprised by any place that we went to. I also wondered what Alice was talking about…that she would plan everything. Her words confused me a little, but I guess tonight would explain everything…hopefully. And if it didn't then I would call Alice and ask her what she means because I'm too impatient to wait. But I had faith in her and she did say that it was tonight so I could wait. I could just enjoy being with Damien and I could have a good time and not have to worry about anything. Everything will be fine…I think…


	6. 6 Forever

**everyone review please!!!!**

**i need some reviews!!!! lol  
**

Chapter 6

Forever

_Love is an irresistible desire to be irresistibly desired_

_Robert Frost  
_

When you decide to love someone forever, you decide to start a new life, a new beginning. So for me that literally means forever, and ever and ever. It's something I've come close to, but nothing I've ever experienced. Actually being able to say that I'm in love with someone who I plan to spend forever with is something I want. But wanting something and actually having it are two totally different things. So I'll wait until I find the one I will spend forever with. But I know that Damien is the one…I just don't know if he feels that I am the one…

__

I started to feel a little anxious when we stepped out of the cottage, in the darkness. He led the way down the sandy pathway and took a step into the woods. I stopped and looked down at my dress. Clearly I wouldn't be able to run through the forest in this. He turned towards me and grinned. Then he pulled me up into his arms and started to run through the forest. I kept my eyes on his face, which was now shining from the moonlight. It only took us a couple of minutes to reach a little open area in the woods. He set me down on my feet and grabbed my hand again. We walked in the little clearing and I stared at this place that I did not recognize.

There were trees all around us and the chirps of the crickets filled the sound of the air. Lightning bugs lit up the sky helping the moonlight to bring brightness back into the black night. And in the middle of this beautiful place were the two of us. He was staring at me and I was looking all around us and taking this all in. He held both of my hands and I finally looked at his face. His gold eyes were shimmering from the glow of the lightning bugs. I smiled.

"What is this place?" I asked.

"It's where I used to come during the nights after I left the army. I used to look up at the moon and think that there must be something more to this life than I was getting out of it."

I looked up at the moon and listened to the crickets' song as they all made the same chirping noise in synchronization.

"I would wonder if I would ever find someone to spend the rest of my life with, someone who actually made me feel like a part of this world even if I'm some monster."

I looked back at his face.

"You're the farthest thing from a monster," I said.

He grinned and pulled up my hand to his face and kissed it.

"I love you," he whispered.

I didn't say a word, I just smiled in response.

"You're the one," he said, "The one I will do anything and everything for. I will protect you from danger and love you forever. I want to be with you for eternity."

I couldn't speak I stood there, frozen. My eyes widened as he got down on one knee, he was still holding my hand and let go of the other to get something out of his back pocket. I gasped.

"Each day I love you more, today more than yesterday and less than tomorrow. You are my everything."

He held up the box in front of me.

"Caroline Noelle Cullen, will you spend forever with me…as my wife?"

His question surprised me and the word that sent chills through my body was…wife. Was I actually being asked to be his wife? Would he really be mine forever? Did he really want me as much as I wanted him? The questions ran through my head. He opened up the little box. In it was a beautiful ring, there was one square shaped diamond in the middle surrounded by smaller diamonds. It glistened in the moonlight. I couldn't speak, but I needed to say something.

"Yes," the words almost came out as a sob, "I will spend forever with you."

I smiled as he slipped the ring on my finger. It fitted perfectly. Then he stood up and took me in his arms. I buried my head in his chest and started sobbing. Well at least I wouldn't ruin his shirt…

"I love you," he whispered.

"Forever," I said in his ear.

"That sounds good to me," he replied.

I chuckled. He kissed my neck with his soft lips and didn't stop until he reached my jaw line and then my mouth. His sweet kiss made me happy and I couldn't resist smiling at this point. I didn't care about anything else, but him right now. He was my future and I wanted to be a part of his life for eternity. And right now I was thankful for being a vampire because I would never have met him if I wasn't who I am today. I wouldn't be standing here right at this moment being asked by my…future husband to be his…wife. When he pulled away from the kiss he kept me tight against him as he hummed a sweet song in my ear. I smiled as he swayed from side to side, singing his sweet melody. Even if I wasn't able to predict the future exactly, I could tell that from now on I wouldn't have to feel alone. Damien brought a whole new perspective on my life.

I held up my hand so I could admire the ring. The lightning bugs' glow made it look beautiful as I moved my hand so I could see the diamonds sparkle and glisten. It was perfect, he was perfect and this moment was perfect. I was with my…husband or fiancée if you want to get into the technical terms. Alice was right though, I was going to be surprised and this was the best surprise I could ever think of getting.

"My wife," he whispered.

I grinned.

"Caroline Noelle Crawford," I said to myself.

"Sounds nice, if that's what you want to go by."

"Of course, it's your last name even if you are a Cullen. Technically your last name isn't really Cullen at all."

"Then Ms. Caroline Crawford it is," he said.

I chuckled and kissed him on the cheek. This was my new beginning and the start of my new life with Damien.

"Thank you," I softly said.

"For?"

"Saving me," I admitted. He saved me from myself. He saved me from the pain I felt when I was left alone.

"No, thank you," he held my face in his hands and kissed me once, "thank you for coming into my life because if you weren't here with me right now, I don't know what I would be doing with myself. I would probably try and find some way to be dead because there would be no reason to live."

"If you die then I die," I said.

"I will never let anyone hurt you, so there's no reason to say that."

"But it's the truth."

He shuddered, "Let's not talk about this."

I nodded my head in agreement. Then I put my hand on his cheek, glancing at the ring on my finger once.

"I love you," I locked my fingers in his hair and brought my face close to his.

He pulled me in closer and started kissing me. I started to lose care for anything in this world except for him as I felt myself getting more into this kiss. I knew that we wouldn't stop here and I knew both of us weren't planning on stopping. The harsh taste of venom was in my mouth, but I didn't care about that.

He picked me up in his arms again and stopped kissing me. I was craving him more during those couple seconds it took for us to get back to our cottage. When he set me down I quickly removed my shoes and ran into the bedroom. He was next to me in a tenth of a second and then he gently placed me onto the bed and put himself on top of me. I wrapped my arms around his neck and kissed him again, not letting him move his lips away. Neither of us needed to breathe as we got deeper and deeper into the kiss.

***

I looked up at the ring that was on my finger as the sun started to rise. It looked even more beautiful in the sunlight. I moved my hand closer and farther away from me and examined all of the little diamonds that were on it. I smiled and looked out of the window at the blue ocean. I wanted to stay here forever.

He put one arm around my waist and kissed my shoulder. I placed my hand over his and closed my eyes for a second, remembering his perfect words that he spoke to me last night.

"What are we doing today?" I asked.

"Well I plan on spending time with my fiancée."

I chuckled.

"Can I tell my family that we're engaged?"

He kissed my hair, "Of course."

I knew I would tell everyone…except for Edward. He didn't need me making him feel worse about…Bella. But I'm pretty sure Alice told everyone already. I wondered where they all were right now?

I laid there for a moment in silence. Then I sat up.

"I'm going to call them," I leaned towards his face and gave him one small kiss.

Then I got up from the bed and quickly got changed. I searched all over for my cell phone. Then it suddenly appeared in my hand. I looked over at Damien and smiled.

"Thanks," I said.

He grinned and watched me as I dialed Alice's number. It only rang once.

"Congratulations!" she shouted.

I chuckled, "Thanks, Alice."

"What does the ring look like?" she asked.

"Didn't you see it in your vision?"

"Yes, but I thought you might want to tell me yourself anyways."

Well she was right about that. I was pretty happy and I did want to tell her. I held up my hand in front of my face.

"The band's silver and there's a square shaped diamond in the middle with smaller diamonds surrounding it," I described.

"It's perfect!" she yelled.

I shook my head and rolled my eyes, typical Alice.

"So what dates were you looking at for the wedding?" she spoke quickly.

"Umm…I just got engaged last night Alice."

"Well, if I were you I would've already had a date in mind," she said, sounding disappointed, "But I have ideas so don't worry."

My eyes widened and I sat down on the bed. Crap…that's what I agreed to, Alice planning my wedding.

"Alice, ple-,"

"Don't worry; I'll make everything perfect."

I groaned, "If I would've known that this was what I was agreeing to I never would've agreed," I said.

"But you already did, so it's settled."

"Alice," I rubbed my forehead with the palm of my hand.

"Cheer up Caroline," she demanded, "Just have a good vacation and I'll see you when you come back."

I almost forgot to ask her.

"Where is everyone?"

She paused for a moment, "Carlisle, Esme, Jasper and I are in Alaska and Emmett and Rosalie are in Africa somewhere, on a vacation like you."

"And Edward?" I asked.

She sighed, "He's trying to track Victoria."

I quickly stood up and started pacing.

"Why would he do that he's not a tracker."

"He still loves her Caroline, and I know that for a fact. He just won't go back because he thinks it's better for Bella. And I've seen Bella," she hesitated, "she's not doing well. She won't eat or go out or do anything for that matter."

I closed my eyes. Why did Edward have to be so stupid?

"Do you see him going back?" I asked.

"No, not anymore, he's focusing on Victoria right now to keep his mind off of her. Believe me Caroline I would go back right now, but I know it would only make matters worse."

I sighed and tried to think of something else to say to change the subject.

"Did you tell everyone?" I asked.

"Yes," she answered.

I sighed. How did I know?

"They all said congratulations and I called Emmett and Rosalie and Emmett asked if he could be the best man."

I laughed, "Well it's not my choice."

"I know that and when you think of your maid of honor let me know, ok?"

I hesitated, "I want you to be my maid of honor Alice."

"Really?"

"Yes, really," I said sure of my answer, "There's no one else I would rather want next to me."

"Are you sure?" she asked.

"Positive. So will you be my maid of honor, Alice?"

"Yes, I would love to!" she yelled.

Damien sat next to me and kissed my finger with the ring on it. I smiled.

"I have to go Alice," I said, staring at Damien.

"Ok, call me soon. Have fun, but I know you're already having a lot of fun. And don't forget to check out the shopping malls there."

I laughed, "Ok, I'll try to remember. Bye."

I hung up the phone and threw it onto the mattress behind me. Then I snuggled into Damien's lap and rested my head on his chest. I stared back down at the ring that was on my finger and smiled.

"It's so beautiful," I commented.

"Not nearly as beautiful as you are," he kissed the top of my head.

Suddenly there was a knock on the door. I sighed.

"I'll get it since you're only half dressed," I got up from his lap, but he grabbed my arm and spun me around.

I giggled and gave him one kiss. Then I quickly ran out of the room and went to the door. It was Grace. I smiled.

"Hey," I said.

"Hi, may I come in?" she asked.

I nodded and opened the door so she could step in. I went into the living and directed her to sit down. I stared at her as she sat next to me.

"So, I heard you got engaged," she finally said.

I smiled and nodded.

"Can I see the ring?" she asked.

I held out my hand and she stared at it. She grinned.

"It very nice," she commented.

"Thanks."

Somehow I sensed that she wasn't here to talk about the engagement. Something was up.

"But I came over here to tell you something," she said.

"Ok," I replied.

She took one deep breath.

"Yesterday I ran into another vampire. I can't think of her name right now, but she had red hair," she explained.

My eyes widened, it couldn't be her…

"Anyways, she said she was looking for you and she wanted to talk to you for some reason. And she said someone else was looking for you too…some man named…Robert."

My mouth fell open. I suddenly felt Damien's arm wrap around me. He kissed me on the cheek, but I didn't react to it. I didn't know how or why Victoria knew Robert. It didn't make sense; wouldn't Victoria just kill Robert when she saw him since he was human? How could he still be alive if Victoria saw him?

"Caroline."

I stared at Grace and didn't say anything to Damien.

"Caroline, what is it?" he asked.

"What do they want from me?" I shouted.

"I don't know, I didn't stick around to talk to her. I just told her that this was our turf and she should leave and she quickly ran away," Grace said.

"Why was she here? Was she really just here for me?" I screamed.

Damien cradled me in his arms and I hid my face in his chest.

"She didn't explain anything."

"And Robert, why is he suddenly a friend of hers? He should be dead!" I started sobbing.

"Shh, you're safe, I won't let them touch you," he rocked me from side to side.

"He's a human! Wouldn't she just kill him?" I couldn't wrap my mind around the fact that they were suddenly looking for me.

"Caroline, I'm sure it's nothing," Grace said.

I shook my head. Anything involving Victoria and Robert couldn't mean nothing. I helped kill James who was Victoria's mate and Robert tried to kill me because I broke his heart. I shuddered from the memories of those two things. I wrapped my arms around Damien's neck and kept my face hidden.

"I love you, nothing's going to happen," he whispered in my ear and kissed my hair.

"Look, I'm going to go since I'm not helping anything," Grace stated.

Damien nodded his head and then turned his attention back to me. I heard her quickly leave the house and Damien made the door close.

"They will never lay a hand on you, do you hear me?"

I nodded my head and stared up at his face. He kissed me once and sang the sweet song in my ear again. I always sort of wondered what that song was.

"What are you singing to me?" I asked, trying to stop thinking about them.

"It's some song I'm not exactly sure where it's from, but it's just something I always have in my head and it sounds beautiful and it reminds me of you."

"Let me see."

I slipped my fingers through the spaces between his fingers and went through his past once again. I couldn't find anything recent that would help so I went farther back, but I still couldn't find anything. So I went into his human past and finally saw it, which made me feel a little happier. I smiled widely.

"Damien, you remember," I said.

"What?"

"You remember this from your human life. It's a song your mother used to sleep to you to help you fall asleep when you were a kid."

He stared off into the distance. Then he looked back at me and grinned.

"I remember, she sang it to me once when I had a nightmare about monsters. I couldn't fall asleep so she came into my room, sat next to me and hummed it to me. I remember it vividly it seems clear to me now."

I reached up to kiss him and when I touched his lips I felt better about everything. All of my worries washed away.

"I told you, you would remember something," I said.

"Thank you."

"You're more than welcome," I kissed him again and then I snuggled in his arms.

He rocked me from side to side again and hummed the little song he actually remembered. It made me happier to know that he was gradually starting to remember his past. My new beginning was starting right now with Damien. I didn't want to think about Victoria or Robert right now. I just wanted to enjoy my vacation with my fiancée and I wanted to have fun and be happy. So the problems can hold off for a while. They would have to wait for me to be ready to deal with them. And I knew that eventually I would have to deal with them…

_Anyone can catch your eye, but it takes someone special to catch your heart…_


	7. 7 Red

Chapter 7

Red

For the rest of our time here in Key West Damien and me mostly relaxed. We spent a couple of weeks here, almost a month and now we were with the rest of my family in Alaska staying with Tanya's family for the time being. Emmett and Rosalie finally came home from Africa about a week after we got to Alaska.

As much as I wanted to stay in Florida with the nice weather I knew I would eventually have to leave. And Grace and Zane promised to visit us sometime and they told us that they would be at our wedding for sure since Damien and I chose them to be a part of the wedding. Alice was doing all of the wedding planning for us and said we needed to relax and just let her do it all. I wanted to at least help do some of the things for my wedding. She couldn't do all the work for me. And as much as I trusted her I really didn't want her to go way overboard with this.

Damien decided that he wanted Jasper to be his best man since they were good friends. So it worked out perfectly for the bridesmaids and the groomsmen to walk down the aisle together. We had Alice and Jasper, Emmett and Rosalie, Grace and Zane, and…well I guess not everything worked out perfectly. I wanted to invite Bella to the wedding, but I don't really think it would be a good idea…so I'll leave it alone for now.

So now we're back in Alaska, living as normally as we ever did, except Edward was still trying to track Victoria. It's been a couple months since I last talked to him. I wondered if he was ok…I mean I was really starting to worry about him. But Alice said he was ok so I guess I shouldn't be so worried. It's January now and of course it has to snow. But I guess I can't complain at least everything was starting to calm down now…

__

I sat in the living room, staring out of the window at the blanket of snow that was on the ground. I missed Forks, a lot. This didn't feel like home at all, it feels like a hotel room, uncomfortable and…just not what I'm used to. But I should be thankful for Tanya's family at least they agreed to let us stay here for a while. I sat there as still as stone and just kept my eyes on the snowflakes that were falling. The snow here was nothing like the snow in Forks. It just came down in clumps and didn't look nice at all. In Forks the snow would fall calmly and each snowflake had its own set of patterns. But this…this was crap. It just looked like frozen rain, it wasn't beautiful at all. I groaned and stood up from the couch, not paying attention to the snow anymore.

Kate walked into the room with a big coat on and a pair of gloves.

"Caroline, we're all going outside, do you want to come?" she asked, politely.

I groaned, but did it so she wouldn't hear.

"Who's going?" I said.

Suddenly, Emmett and Jasper came into the room, both grinning an evil grin. I rolled my eyes, knowing that if I went outside then they would throw snow at me. It didn't sound too exciting at the moment.

Kate put a hat on her blonde hair.

"No thanks, I think I'm just going t-,"

"You have to go," Alice came into the room.

She handed me a jacket, a hat, a pair of gloves, and some boots. I sighed; well I guess I have to now. I hesitantly put the coat on and then I put my boots on over my jeans that I was wearing. I could hear Emmett's booming laughter outside and Jasper running after him. I groaned.

"If I get wet, I'm blaming you, Alice," I slipped the gloves on.

She chuckled and skipped out of the door. Kate waited for me while I quickly put on the hat I was given. Then we walked to the door and stopped for a moment before we twisted the knob open. I sighed once and when she finally opened it I ran as fast as I could, hiding behind one of the trees. I bent down to the ground and quickly picked up a pile of snow. Then I waited until I heard someone coming near me. I stopped breathing so that they wouldn't know I was there and kept my ears open. Then when I finally heard someone's footsteps I turned around and threw the snowball at them. It hit Alice right in the face. I laughed.

"Sorry, Alice," I said between laughs.

She wiped the snow off of her face, "Well I'm just giving you a head start." When all of the snow was finally off of her face she grinned at me. I took one step backwards and darted the opposite way as she quickly picked up some snow and ran after me. I ran left and right through the trees and tried to find somewhere to hide, but I felt the snow hit the back of my head and I stopped. Alice's laughter filled the air.

"Payback," she yelled. Then she turned around and ran away.

I wiped off the snow that was now on the back of my neck and started to walk back to the house. I tried to be slow because I wasn't too eager to get back and have to be bombed with a bunch of snow. It doesn't sound too appealing at the moment.

I heard Emmett and Jasper laughing. And I slowed down even more because I knew they would throw snow at me. I walked through the trees and tried to remember how to get back. Then suddenly a rustling to the right startled me. I stopped dead in my tracks and stared off into the distance. The rustling got louder and louder, but I didn't move at all. A blazing red color caught my eye and I turned my head towards the movement I saw. I finally started to take a step towards it. A low grumble ringed in my ear as the red suddenly appeared again. I picked up the pace and eventually started running. Then I saw it again out of the corner of my eye. I stopped and turned to the left. I didn't know what I was getting myself into, but I was curious. So many thoughts were running through my head at this point as I crept around one of the trees and searched for some sort of explanation. Then, I heard someone breathing behind me and I heard their footsteps. I was thinking that I was in trouble and when they touched my shoulder I grabbed their wrist and slammed them down onto the ground. When I realized it was Damien I chuckled. I was officially losing it.

"So that's how you say hello to me?" he smiled.

I reached out my hand and helped him get up.

"I'm sorry, it was just a natural reaction," I giggled.

He brushed all of the snow off of his back and took my hand. We started to walk back to the house. I suddenly saw the flash of red again and I turned my head. I heard a low chuckle in my ear.

"Are you ok?" he asked.

I looked up at him and smiled, "Yeah, I'm fine."

Then we started walking again and I glanced back. I saw someone's grin, a familiar face. I did a double take, but didn't see them again. I blinked a couple of times and didn't hear it anymore. Damien squeezed my hand and I turned my attention back to him. Whatever or whoever it was, it was gone now. And hopefully it wouldn't come back, but I highly doubt it. Everything has been going perfect for the last couple of months and now would be a great time for something bad to happen. So, I will be prepared for whatever's thrown at me…

***

The next day Rosalie, Alice and I were going shopping for dresses for the wedding. We were all going to take my car to the local shopping district here, which I've never been too. I think I would've liked to go to Port Angeles instead of here, but I guess I would have to live with it. I drove down the icy roads at top speed. Then I turned on the radio, Hot N' Cold by Katy Perry was playing. We all enjoyed the car ride there, dancing to the music and just having a good time.

Once we got to the bridal store I went searching for something that would catch my eye, something that would be perfect for my special day. I walked up and down the aisle of dresses examining each dress, but nothing seemed right. Alice skipped to my side and took my arm.

"Let me show you one," she smiled and dragged me to the back of the store.

She picked up one of the dresses and I sighed, not knowing what she would find.

"How about this one?" she asked.

Rosalie stood next to me and gasped at the dress. I stared at it. It was strapless and simple, yet sophisticated. The top was tight fitting and it let out into a wide bottom, which had some beaded flowers on it. It was…perfect.

"So?" she asked.

I walked up to it and smiled, "Its perfect, Alice."

I stared in amazement at the dress.

"I knew you would love it," she smiled.

Well, of course she knew I would love it.

"Try it on!" Rosalie demanded.

She tugged on my arm and led me into one of the dressing rooms. Alice came into the dressing room and closed the door. She held out the dress and I carefully stepped into it. I pulled it up and she zipped up the zipper. It was a little tight, but it could be fixed.

Alice opened up the door and I stepped out onto the pedestal there. I stared into the mirror at my pale face and my golden eyes. Then I looked down at the dress and grinned. Rosalie handed Alice the veil and she clipped it into my hair. I turned around to see myself from all sides and admired this piece of perfection that Alice found for me.

"You really do look beautiful," Rosalie commented with a genuine smile.

That was different, was Rosalie actually being nice to me?

"Thanks," I replied.

Alice clapped her hands and jumped up and down.

The store clerk came in and her eyes went wide when she saw all three of us. She examined each of our faces and went to mine last. Then she smiled weakly at us.

"Do you need any help?" her voice was trembling.

"No, we're fine," Alice said with her eyes focusing on me.

Then the woman quickly left the room. I chuckled and looked back into the mirror, keeping my eyes on the dress. I pictured myself walking down the aisle and seeing Damien, my husband waiting for me at the altar and smiling when he saw me.

"So we're definitely getting this, right?" Alice interrupted my thoughts.

"Yes," I quickly answered.

"Yay," she jumped up and down.

I giggled. Then she quickly took me into the dressing room again and I quickly got out of the dress. Alice carefully handed the dress to the store clerk so that she could hold it while we went looking for bridesmaids dresses. Rosalie and I went up and down the aisles looking, while Alice quickly went to one of the dresses there. I didn't look at it yet because I knew it would be the one that I would choose. Instead I just kept admiring all of the others, knowing that they weren't going to be right for the wedding. Once we both finally finished with the dresses we saw, we went to see the one Alice picked out. She was already heading into the dressing room. I rolled my eyes and waited outside of the door. When the door finally opened I stared at the dress that she already knew I was getting. Again, it was perfect, something I would definitely choose for my wedding.

It was dark blue and strapless. There were beaded flowers on it, like the gown I just chose. It fit perfectly. No wonder why Alice picked this out.

"It's perfect," I said.

Alice smiled, "I really like it."

She twirled around in the mirror and then stepped off of the pedestal.

"Now all we need to do is get everyone's sizes," she walked into the dressing room again.

I groaned, that was one of the worse parts of this whole thing and one of the most complicated parts. She came out of the dressing room with a smile on her face and walked up to the register. Rosalie and I followed her.

"Thank you," she said to the store clerk.

I chuckled.

She turned towards us, "Let' go."

"Wait, don't we need all of the bridesmaids here to actually buy the dr-,"

She held up one hand in front of my face, "Don't worry Caroline it's all going to be taken care of. I have my ways."

Then she took my arm and I grabbed Rosalie and she dragged us into one of the clothing stores there.

***

When we got back to the house I immediately went up to my room, excited to see Damien. I quickly ran up the stairs and walked down the hallway, slowly opening the door and smiling when I saw him lying on the black leather couch. I walked into the room and laid down next to him. He wrapped one arm around me and kissed my hair. He hummed his sweet song in my ear and I relaxed and closed my eyes. His sweet breath tingled down my spine when it touched my skin. Then he grabbed my left hand and stared down at the ring on my finger. He rubbed it with his thumb and then kissed my finger. I nestled in close to him and felt as comfortable as ever.

"I could lay here with you forever," he whispered.

I chuckled, "We don't have to get up anytime soon."

"Good," he kissed my forehead.

I kept my eyes closed and thought about my dress and the wedding. It was the same day dream as before, Damien was standing at the altar and I was walking down the aisle. He looked so handsome in his black tuxedo. I grinned at the thought of him wearing a tux. I've never seen him wearing something that formal before. When I reached the altar and took his hands I glanced back at all of the people there watching me get married to the most wonderful man in my life. But there was something strange about the guests, something wasn't right. Then, suddenly, I saw Victoria sitting in the back next to Robert. I quickly opened my eyes and didn't make a sound. I glanced at his face and his eyes were thankfully closed. I stared up at the ceiling and wondered why things like this had to happen to me. Damien started rubbing my arm with his hand and I looked back at his face. He was staring intently at me and seemed curious. I turned my face towards his face and smiled.

"I love you, I can't even tell you how much I love you," he quietly said.

I leaned my face closer to him, "Then just show me."

He chuckled and pressed our lips together. The sweet taste of his lips made me want more of him. I growled sexily and I caught him grinning as he kept kissing me more and more passionately. Both of us quickly started to take off our clothes and our lips met again, planning on staying together for a long time…


	8. 8 Black Hole

**this one's sort of short...but let me know what you think ;]**

Chapter 8

Black Hole

I stared up at the ceiling, thinking about my wedding day. And thinking about how much I would give for Bella to be there. I did miss her, a lot. I wonder if she missed us at all. And I thought about Edward, I never even got a chance to tell him that I was engaged. I didn't even know how to talk to him or where to find him because he wouldn't answer his phone and everyday Alice would say that he was somewhere else…

As much as I wanted Bella and Edward to be together again I knew that there was no chance that they would ever love each other like they once did. So I guess I won't invite Bella to the wedding. Our save the dates are going to be mailed soon and I don't think it would be right to ask Bella to come…as much as I wanted her to be there I knew it would make Edward uncomfortable.

I rolled over and faced Damien. His eyes were closed, but I knew he wasn't sleeping. So I snuggled up close to him and closed my eyes as well. I wish that I could sleep…and dream. I know that I would dream of Damien. I smiled and placed my hand on his chest.

His past started rolling through my mind again. The one thing I looked at especially was when he proposed to me in Key West. It was probably the happiest day of my life and hopefully my wedding day will be even better. He turned around and faced me. I opened my eyes and saw that he was smiling at me. He kissed the tip of my nose and held me tight against him. Both of us laid there in silence and just enjoyed each other's presence. I kissed his lips and then I buried my head in his chest.

I heard the door slam downstairs, but I ignored it. Maybe someone was coming home from a hunting trip.

"Edward!" I heard Alice yell.

I quickly opened my eyes and looked over at the door.

"I'm not staying here."

"Where are you going to go then?"

"I need to find Victoria and kill her."

"Oh give up already Edward you're never going to find her."

I looked up at Damien and put my hand on his cheek.

"I need to say hi to Edward…and tell him everything," I whispered.

He nodded his head and pecked my lips. Then I got up and grabbed my clothes off of the floor. I ran into the bathroom and checked myself in the mirror. My hair was a mess so I quickly fixed it and tried to make myself presentable. Then I ran to the staircase and walked casually down the stairs. I ran through the living room and went to the door. When I saw him I didn't believe it was really him. He looked…different. He wasn't the Edward that I always knew. He changed.

I walked up to him and smiled warmly, trying to ignore the difference in his expression when he realized it was me. I gently hugged him and then I stared at his face. I was worried about him.

"How are you?" I asked.

He looked down and didn't answer. Maybe this wasn't the best time to tell him.

"I already know," he said.

I sighed. He smiled in a weird way, it wasn't a smile that I recognized. This was a cold smile, it was fake. He grabbed my left hand and stared down at the ring. He examined it closely and the smile started to fade.

"I'm happy for you."

I grinned and put my hand on his cheek. I looked into what he was doing for the past couple of months. All I really saw was him falling to pieces and tearing up at the seams. He wasn't happy at all. He tried to get his mind off of her, but he couldn't. She kept coming back into his mind.

He quickly pulled my hand off of his face and shut his eyes.

"I'm sorry," I whispered.

He shook his head, "You should've seen her when I left. It was like I was taking the life out of her."

"Then go back," I said.

He hesitated and opened his eyes again.

"I can't. She's probably already forgotten about me. It's best this way."

"I beg to differ."

"Of course you do," he scoffed.

"Well look at yourself, Edward, you're falling apart. I hate having to see you this way. You think tracking down Victoria will keep your mind off of her and make this feeling go away, but it won't."

I heard footsteps coming into the room, but I ignored them. I stared at Edward and shook my head in disbelief. Then I saw Tanya's strawberry blonde hair as she opened her arms to give Edward a hug. I rolled my eyes. She always had a thing for Edward, but he never paid attention to her. I started to walk away.

_I miss you, _I thought.

I turned my head around and glanced back at both of them. He stared at me as I walked up the stairs and went back into my room. I closed the door and leaned against it. I kept my eyes closed and put my face in my hands. How could he let himself get this way?

I felt Damien's hand touch mine and he pulled my hands away from my face. He opened up his arms and I ran into them.

"It's that bad, huh."

"It's worse than bad," I said.

He kissed my hair, "He'll be ok."

I shook my head, "I really don't think he will. You didn't see him, he looked terrible. He's not himself, I feel like I lost my brother."

I started sobbing.

"You didn't lose him; he just needs to find himself again. Give him time."

He ran his fingers through my hair and kissed my forehead. I buried my face into his neck and he put his chin on the top of my head.

"I hate seeing him this way," I admitted.

"I know."

"Please promise me you won't leave me," I said.

He pulled away and stared into my eyes, "Why would you ever think that I would leave you?"

"Just promise me."

He shook his head, "I promise, but you should already know that I would never leave you because I asked you to marry me and be a part of my life. I want you forever, I could never even think of what I would do without you. You are my life, and you will always be my life."

I smiled.

"You always find a way to make me feel better."

He chuckled, "It's not hard."

He kissed my hair and then my lips.

He leaned in close to my ear, "I love you, Caroline. Don't ever forget that no matter what," he whispered.

"I love you too, Damien."

Then in that instant I knew that my story wouldn't turn out like Edward's and it wouldn't turn out like my last love story either. Damien would stay true to me and I will always stay true to him…forever.

***

I didn't know if Edward had left yet. I hoped that he didn't though. I really wanted to talk to him and just have a real conversation with him. I can't even remember when I actually had a full conversation with him.

I walked down the stairs and looked for him. He wasn't in the living room or in the dining room. I went to the front room and he wasn't there either.

"Edward," I shouted.

I went outside and ran into the woods to see if he was there. Maybe he went hunting. I tried to decipher his scent, but I couldn't I was getting distracted by the sweet smell of blood. Well maybe I could just drink a little. So I followed the scent and took down my prey. I drank as quickly as possible and when I finished I went searching for Edward again.

"Edward," I yelled.

I slowed down and started to walk now. The snow didn't affect me too much. I heard a noise coming from the right and I darted that way, hoping it was him. I shout out his name a couple of times and when I saw a dark figure just ahead I slowed down again. I walked around the trees and watched as the figure got closer and closer to me. He was wearing something black and his back was turned to me. I crept towards him and placed my hand on his shoulder. He turned around slowly and when I realized that it wasn't Edward I started to back away. His eyes were red and they looked frightening. He was grinning at me. I stopped dead in my tracks when it hit me. I knew who this was.

"Robert?" my voice was stammering.

"I've been looking for you," he said.

"You're a-,"

"Vampire," he laughed, "It's amazing how easily you can become one if you obey."

"Obey?" I tried to stay calm as I slowly backed away.

"Yes," he was in front of me in an instant, "That's right Caroline."

He touched my face with his hands and took a deep breath.

"You don't know how much I've missed you," he leaned in to kiss me.

I pulled out of his grip and ran towards the house, but he caught up to me.

"You should know better, newborns are very fast," he grabbed my neck, "And very strong."

He threw me down onto the ground. I slowly got up and ran towards the house again, hoping that someone would find him. I ran as quickly as possible and shut my eyes thinking that this couldn't be happening. I felt myself run into someone.

"No," I shouted as I tried to get out of their tight grip.

"Caroline what's wrong?" I heard Damien's voice.

I opened my eyes and looked up at him. Then I looked back and realized that Robert was nowhere to be found. Damien put my face in his hands and forced me to look into his eyes.

"What happened?" he asked.

"Robert," I sobbed, "He's a vampire."

Damien held me tight against his chest and kissed the top of my head.

"Shh, everything's going to be ok."

"No, it's not going to be ok, Damien. He's been looking for me and now he knows where I am. It is not going to be ok," I shouted.

"Please Caroline," he swayed me from side to side and rubbed my arms, "I'm not going to let him hurt you. That's why we need to leave Alaska and go somewhere else, like Florida."

"No, he knows about Florida already, Damien."

"Shh," he cooed, "We'll find a way. Don't worry, I will protect you."

He started to hum his sweet song in my ear and we stood there. I tried to get calmer, but I couldn't. It was as if this dark shadow was following me everywhere I went and now I had to try and run from it. I could tell that he wouldn't leave me alone until he finished his mission. And that was to kill me, since when he first tried it, it didn't work. I didn't know where to go or what to do. I was stuck inside a black hole and if I tried to escape it would just keep sucking me in, until it finally had me. I knew that there was only two ways this could go. Either I would be killed or Robert would be killed. And right now it seemed that I was most likely to die…


	9. 9 The Game

**i need some reviews!!!!**

**lol tell me what you think...its short i no...  
**

Chapter 9

The Game

Things were getting really bad really fast. I could no longer relax or feel safe. No, everything was too perfect so of course something had to go wrong. I couldn't risk bringing any danger to my family or to Damien. So I'm going to keep them safe by leaving. They don't know about my plans and I'm making sure that I don't make a decision on where I'm going exactly, just so that Alice doesn't see me. I hope that this will work enough to keep Robert away for a while, but I know that when he does find me I won't fight him. I have brought too much pain to my family already and this would just make things worse.

So I'm going to leave Damien a note of how much I love him and how I'm doing this all to keep him safe. I just need to see if I have the strength to leave him now. Maybe it wouldn't be so painful if I gave him the ring back, if he found someone else to love. All I want is for Damien to be happy, nothing matters more to me. Even if I have to feel empty and alone, he doesn't. I need to write this note to him and let him know that if I don't come back, then he should move on. It's the only way…

__

I started sobbing as I picked up the pen and started to write on the paper. I glanced over at my door to make sure no one was home yet. I told them that I was too scared to go hunting now. Everyone believed me, except for Damien. It was hard to get him out of the house, but he eventually believed me. As much as I hated lying to him, I had to. It felt like my whole life was being taken away. When I finished the letter, I sobbed for a minute, and then I read over it to make sure it sounded right.

_Dear Damien,_

_I know that when you find this letter, you will be wondering where I am. I'm not going to tell you because I'm doing this to keep you all safe from Victoria and Robert. I know that there is a possibility that I won't make it back alive. And if I do die, then I want you to move on. I am leaving my ring here with you so that you can give it to someone that you will spend the rest of your life with if I don't come back. You know that I will always love you, forever and ever and ever. But I need to do this; I need to stop him and Victoria if I get a chance to. It will be difficult, but please try to understand why I am doing this. Don't come looking for me, please Damien, I need to do this alone. I love you so much. Send my love to everyone else._

_Your wife,_

_Caroline_

I sealed away the letter in an envelope and set it onto the bed. Then I looked at the ring on my finger, kissed it once, and then I slipped it off and placed it next to the letter. I started to sob, while I picked up my bag and walked out of the room slowly, closing the door behind me. I ran down the stairs and went into the garage, trying not to look back so I wouldn't be tempted to stay. I looked at the car next to mine and then I sat in the driver's side, quickly closing the car door. I put my hands on the wheel and didn't put the keys in the ignition yet because I sat there with my eyes closed, trying to keep myself from losing control and going back into the house.

"You have to do this," I whispered to myself. I nodded my head and finally started up the car and opened the garage door. Then I sped down the snow covered street. I needed a place to go to; I had no idea where I was heading for. I just went straight, hoping that it would lead me somewhere far away. Maybe I would end up in Canada; I didn't really care, just as long as I went somewhere they didn't know about.

I tried not to think about what I was leaving behind. If I did think about it I knew that I would want to turn back. But this was the right thing to do; I was protecting them from danger, if only I didn't have to go through all of this and just be with…

I shuddered.

_Don't think about it, _I kept repeating those words in my head over and over again.

I took deep breaths and stared out of my windshield to see if there was any sign of somewhere I could stay for a while. I was going down a street; trees were on every side, when suddenly some movement in the woods caught my eye. I immediately stopped the car and sat there searching for something that might've moved. There was nothing that I could see, even with my sort of vision, so I stepped out of the car.

"Hello?" I shouted.

Maybe it was Robert, maybe he followed me. Good, then we could just get this over with. I wouldn't have to feel pain anymore if he just killed me now. I started to walk into the forest, knowing that I might be getting myself into serious danger if it really was him.

I took one deep breath of air through my nose and I didn't smell anything, but the sweet scent of blood. I could go hunting since I probably won't be able to later. Aware of my surroundings, I ran through the trees quickly and fed on my prey, quenching my thirst. I stayed alert for any sign of him, but it was calm. Maybe I was being delusional and nothing was ever there.

I shook my head as I sat in my car and put the keys into the ignition once again, driving off to a place where I could hide from them.

***

When I finally reached a place where there were actually humans, I bought a hotel room for the night. I would probably have to do some planning for tomorrow. I unlocked the door with the room key and set my bag down onto the bed. I took my cell phone out of my pocket and turned it on. There were ten voicemails from Alice. I was right to leave my phone off because if I talked to Alice then I knew she would come to get me. I went into my inbox and put the phone up to my ear to listen to the messages.

"Caroline! Come home, now! You can't run off, he's going to find you! Don't be stupid!" Alice's voice shouted in my ear. She didn't understand why I was doing this.

I went to the next message.

"Damien wants to come and get you, I know you'll get this message so don't try and ignore me. He's coming to get you, wherever you are."

I tried not to let myself get emotional when she said his name. I knew that she was right, he would try to find me, but I hoped that someone, maybe Carlisle or Edward, would respect my wishes and let me do this alone. I had to finish this madness and stop all of this. And if they just wanted me, then I would back down and let them have me. I went to the next message.

"Caroline, it's me. I love you, but you can't do this. I can't let you run off and try to fix all of this. If you die then I die, remember? So if you don't come back then I'm not going to live without you, I'll find a way to be with you, no matter what. Please when you get this message come home. And if you want to try and go somewhere so he won't follow you, then I'll go with you. But I can't just sit here and let you do this. I love you, forever."

I threw my phone onto the couch and put my face in my hands. This wasn't what I wanted, I didn't want him to try and kill himself just to be with me. What was he thinking?

I started sobbing again and I tried to sort through everything. If I went back, then Robert and Victoria would know where I was and it would make it easier for them. But then if my family tried to protect me, they would kill them to get to me. I shuddered and tried to keep the thoughts of my family being killed out of my head.

This was nothing I wanted or needed. My life was hanging by a thread right now. Every move I made was either a step closer or a step farther from death. It was like a game; one move you make could either help you or make matters worse. I needed to make sure that Damien was ok though. He needed to be safe and he needed to know that taking his life away isn't worth it. But how could I let him know without him coming here?


	10. 10 Help

**so umm...lol i haven't updated in like forever....a lot of people have been telling me to update and well yeah i finally did!! haha sorry i haven't done it sooner....**

**REVIEW!!!  
**

Chapter 10

Help

The whole night I stared at the ceiling and contemplated what I would do. Could I go back home without them finding me again? No, I really don't think I can. But I didn't have many options at this point. It was either I kept running or I went home.

When I heard my phone starting to ring on the side table next to my bed I hesitated to pick it up. I stared at the ceiling and waited for it to go to a voicemail message, but it seemed like it wouldn't stop ringing. I groaned and put my hands over my ears, knowing that this wouldn't help anything, but still doing it anyways. It still wouldn't stop ringing.

"Fine!" I shouted as I shot upright and picked the phone up, flinging it open, "What?!" I yelled.

Someone was breathing heavily on the other line, but they didn't say a word. I could only imagine who this was and yet I didn't want to think of the name.

I growled into the phone, "Leave me alone you sick-,"

"Caroline, it's me," Edward's strained voice said.

"Edward?" I questioned, making sure that it was actually him and not someone that was trying to sound like him.

"Yes," he answered, "Where are you?"

I got up from the bed and took a deep breath. Should I tell him?

"I don't…know…" I lied, it was a really bad lie.

"Just tell me," he sighed, "I won't let Alice know, I can prevent myself from making a decision just like you can."

I wanted to trust him, I really did. It's just…how do I know that Alice isn't sitting next to him right now? He could very well still be at the house with the rest of them…but he's never lied to me before.

"Where are you Edward?" I asked him.

"I'm trying to follow Victoria's scent at the moment," I wasn't paying much attention to him when he said that name because I could already feel myself starting to get worried again.

"She's going to find me," I whimpered, "He's going to find me. There's no use in trying to track her. They're going to kill me soon."

"Don't think like that," he snarled.

"I'm not going to put you in danger Edward. Stay where you are, its better this way. And if you ever decide to go to the Denali house again…" I felt a pain run through me, "Then tell Damien I love him and tell him that I want him to live for me," I closed my eyes, "Goodbye Edward."

And before he could say another word I hung up on him and turned my phone off. If I was going to face them, then I was going to face them alone and that's final. No one should have to fight my battles. I'm the one who has to finish this once and for all.

I quickly changed into a pair of jeans and a t-shirt and after I packed up the rest of my things I checked out of my room and headed to my car. I wasn't sure of where I would go next. But all I knew was that I had to get away from here. Maybe they'll follow my scent, I wouldn't be surprised. They were probably in the same hotel as me and I probably didn't pay enough attention to smell their scents. I just hope that they'll leave my family alone because after all it is me that they want.

I sped down the road and went south heading to wherever my car would go. If I made a decision on a specific spot, then Alice would see that, so I had to drive aimlessly in the same direction for as long as I could.

My body ached with an unbearable pain. It hurt to think about my family. If they were to get hurt then it would be my fault. It would be my entire fault and then I would have to live with the guilt. I couldn't do that to them, I couldn't make my problems into their problems. It's not right.

I drove through half the day before I finally needed gas. So I stopped at the closest gas station that I could find and as I waited for the slow pump to finish I built up enough courage to turn my phone on again.

When I looked at my voicemail my eyes widened. There were twenty messages, mostly from Alice, but one in particular caught my eye. It was from Edward. I took one deep breath before I pressed my finger down onto the ok button. I put the phone up to my ear and waited to hear his voice. I could tell that he was walking and I can only imagine that he was still trying to track…her.

"You're not going to fight them alone Caroline, I won't let you do it. And don't ever think that you're putting me or anyone else in danger. You're a Cullen, so that means you're a part of the family. And families look out for each other," he sighed before continuing, "You've looked out for me ever since we met and it's time that I've done the same for you. So, I'm going to do everything and anything to help you and that's what I've decided. I won't let you die like this because Damien needs you and…I need you," I could tell that at that point he was thinking of Bella, I could only imagine how hard it is for him to think about her, "I'm going to do whatever it takes to find you. And if you do eventually decide to accept help, then just know that you can rely on me," I closed my eyes and cried a little, I refused to listen to the message anymore so I closed my phone and put it back in my pocket.

People just stared at me as I took the gas pump out of my car and finished up. I got into my car and slammed the door shut, gripping the steering wheel and just sobbing until I couldn't sob anymore. I wanted to make this all go away, but I couldn't. It wouldn't go away, not unless I was dead or they were dead.

I put my key into the ignition and drove once again. Since I didn't need to sleep I figured that I would drive until my car ran out of gas again. I drove south again and didn't take the time to look at any of the welcome to signs, figuring that Alice might see me going to the location. Who knows, she could be on her way to get me right now and I wouldn't even know it. I bet Damien would go with her too. I shook my head when I thought about that. He shouldn't have to risk his life to save me and neither should Edward or Alice or any of them. God, this is so messed up.

I closed my eyes for a moment and thought about Damien…my fiancé or former fiancé since I took the ring off. I could be planning my wedding with him right now, but instead of that I'm planning on dying. I'm just waiting for them to find me so that this could all be over with.

My eyes opened once again and suddenly a scent hit me. I pushed my foot onto the brake pedal and flew out of the door, sniffing the air to see if I recognized it. I looked around and saw nothing but trees and the moonlight that shined on each of them. I started to walk down the road, taking long and deep breaths. The aroma started to get stronger as I headed further down the road and I glanced back at my car to make sure that no one was trying to get into it, thankfully there was no one there.

The strange smell got stronger and stronger and I could clearly tell that it wasn't any of the Cullens. It was another vampire that was for sure, but none of them were a part of my family. I would've known if it was one of them as soon as I smelled it. I bared my teeth to let whoever it was know that I wasn't going to go down without a fight.

"Come on," I muttered.

Soon after I spoke there was a rustling in the trees to the right of me and I darted in the direction of the noise. My eyes scanned the area as best as I could until I finally saw a pair of eyes staring at me. They were red no doubt and I wasn't afraid. I was ready to fight if I had to.

"What do you want?" I hissed.

I heard them take a step forward and I could make out a couple of their facial features. It was neither Robert nor Victoria and I slightly sighed in relief. Despite the fact that it wasn't one of them I still kept my guard up just in case it was on their side.

The man took a couple more steps in my direction before he finally decided to use his speed to put himself in front of me. I stared at him and waited for him to say something, but he didn't. He had the most peculiar look on his face and I quickly decided to speak.

"What are you doing here?" I asked in a calmer tone.

He shrugged, "Hunting."

He grinned a little and I just examined him. His hair was short and dark and the edges were slightly spiked up in all directions. His crimson red eyes held my gaze and we both just stood there in silence.

"Why are you so frightened?" he questioned.

I shook my head, "Two vampires are after me and I thought you might be one of them."

I didn't know why I was wasting my time by talking to him, but he obviously wasn't going to hurt me so I figured it was ok. He walked closer to me and my instincts immediately told me to find out something about him. So I lifted my hand up and touched his cheek.

His name is Ian Bennett and he has gift in which he can feel the emotions of people around him. He was turned into a vampire in 1902 by the leader of the coven he lives with whose name is Tristan who is over five hundred years old. Ian was changed by a vampire who was tracking him and Tristan bravely stepped in and saved him before he could be killed. Ian sees Tristan as his fatherly figure. They live in Vancouver with two other vampires, Cole and Ella. Ella is Ian's mate.

I lifted my hand off of him and slightly smiled, "Ian is it?"

He nodded, "Let me guess, you have a gift?"

"Yeah, no need to explain yourself," I looked away from him and glanced back at where I had come from, "You live in Vancouver?" I asked.

"With my coven," he said.

I sighed, what am I doing? I bet Alice can see me right now…with this guy.

"You said that two vampires are after you," I nodded, "Care to elaborate?"

I hesitated to tell him what was going on, but I figured that maybe, just maybe he could help me, "Their names are Robert and Victoria and they're trying to kill me. You see, when I was human Robert was also human and I was going to marry him because my parents had wanted it to be that way, but then I met this other man named William and we fell in love," I looked up towards the sky, "We had planned to run away together, but somehow Robert found out and he…hurt me. My brother, Edward, managed to turn me before I died and now Robert's a vampire because Victoria changed him and he wants to kill me once and for all."

He studied me for a moment before he calmed me down. I was glad that he was like Jasper because now I didn't have to feel scared all the time because he could calm me down.

"I'm truly sorry," he looked down at the ground, thinking for a minute before looking at me again, "If you need a place to stay for the night you can come stay with us. I'm sure it'd be no problem."

I shook my head, "I can't…my sister would see me," he furrowed his eyebrows and I chuckled seriously, "She's a psychic and if I stay then she'll see me I'm sure. And if she finds me then they'll try to hurt her too…and they'll try to hurt Damien, my fiancé."

He frowned, "I can only imagine what you're going through. I mean with trying to protect your family and all."

I grinned, "Thank you though, I appreciate it."

"No problem," he stared at me sympathetically, "But if you need help I'm always hunting around here."

I'm pretty sure that I wouldn't want to bring him and his coven into this too, but I nodded anyways and said, "I'll be sure to do that if I'm in desperate need of help."

He put his hand on my arm, "Good luck," he told me.

I smiled, "Thanks."

Before I went back to my car I said a quick goodbye to him and I was once again on my way to somewhere south. I thought about what had just occurred. What if I really did need help? Could I accept it from someone that I barely knew let alone my family?

I don't know what I'll do at this point, but all I know is that I have to think of a plan quickly or else someone was going to finally find me. I knew that Alice had probably seen me talking to Ian and she was probably on her way here with Damien. So, I needed to decide, did I want to keep running further away from them or did I want to accept their help?


End file.
